


Renewal

by JustJim, Useless_girl



Series: Home Is Where the Spark Is [14]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aged up characters, Alpha Derek, Angst, Dark, Detective Stiles, Drama, Emissary in Training Stiles, Epic Romance, Family time, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Magic, Magic Stiles, R (explicit), Romantic Gesture, Slash, Soulmates, Spark Stiles, Supernatural - Freeform, Surprises, Werewolves, bad day, canon and non-canon elements, emissary bond, emissary stiles, m/m - Freeform, mate bond, matured Stiles, post-Teen Wolf, road trip to IKEA, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:49:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25554607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustJim/pseuds/JustJim, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Useless_girl/pseuds/Useless_girl
Summary: The remodeling work on the loft and Derek’s building is in full swing and the Hale has a big surprise for Stiles on the roof before they head out to hunt furniture in the nearest IKEA. Of course, putting recent dark events behind them isn’t that easy, there are bad days – especially for Derek. So when on one of such a bad day the pair returns to the Stilinski home, another surprise awaits them literally on the doorstep.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Home Is Where the Spark Is [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607563
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	1. 14: Renewal - Part 1

**Note:** This is the 14th part of the “[Home Is Where the Spark Is](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607563)” series. To understand better what’s going on, we recommend reading the previous entries. Enjoy!

 **Fandoms:** Teen Wolf, Sterek

 **Characters/relationships:** Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale, original character

 **Rating/category:** R (explicit), supernatural, post-Teen Wolf, canon and non-canon elements, slash, M/M, Sterek, hurt/comfort, dark, angst, aged up characters, Spark Stiles, Magic Stiles, Emissary Stiles, Emissary in training Stiles, detective Stiles, matured Stiles, Alpha Derek, drama, epic romance, love, magic, soulmates, Mate bond, Emissary bond, werewolves, humor, romantic gesture, road trip to IKEA, family time, bad day, surprises

 **Summary:** The remodeling work on the loft and Derek’s building is in full swing and the Hale has a big surprise for Stiles on the roof before they head out to hunt furniture in the nearest IKEA. Of course, putting recent dark events behind them isn’t that easy, there are bad days – especially for Derek. So when on one of such a bad day the pair returns to the Stilinski home, another surprise awaits them literally on the doorstep.

 **Disclaimer:** This is a product of our imagination and was written only for entertainment and fun. We don’t profit from this fanfiction and we mean no harm or disrespect against any real person, culture or custom that might appear in the story. All original pictures or edits and fictional characters used in the story belong to their respective owners and credit goes to them.

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**Home Is Where the Spark Is  
** _By Just Jim & Useless-girl_

**14: Renewal – Part 1**

Life was usually full of ups and downs. When something bad happened, some good was bound to come afterwards to balance it. It seemed to be a kind of universal law Stiles believed in, no matter how much Derek grumbled about such ideas. Deep down, the druid knew it had to be the case. Or at least that they can be granted a breather between two shit storms at least.

After all, they were who they were and lived in Beacon Hills, which was a place to be known for being a magnet for trouble. Especially since the area’s Nemeton was awakened from its deep powerless slumber by an accidental sacrifice. That put Derek Hale in the focal point of everything that’s been going on in the town and being the destined mate of the alpha consequently had drawn the younger Stilinski into the middle of everything too. Even before they were mated. Their lives had converged once the lines reached the point where they had to meet. And since then they only entwined more and more. Sometimes Stiles wondered how much more tangled their threads will get? What will they become?

Either way, such heavier thoughts were put aside for now, because it was time for their next “up” in their lives. Stiles found it important to focus on the good too and refused not to enjoy the peace while it lasted.

A couple of days have passed since Derek had his eyesight back and once he readjusted to the world around him, the mates’ plans for the future were back on track.

This time it was the renovation of the loft. It was a big step for their little family and definitely a lot of work, even with the help of the constructor workers Derek had hired to move along the work faster. But it was something they both wanted very much. To really start their lives together. Fixing up that part of Derek’s building was the first step. The first place which they will call their own home. It was challenging but also very exciting.

Especially for Stiles, who has never lived with anyone beside his parents or alone in San Francisco. Deep down he was a bit nervous about it, but mostly just excited and very much energized and ready to tackle this big challenge. (And annoy Derek to no end with his ideas and eager attempts to help as much as possible.)

Of course, they kept an eye on the town and the comings and goings of new people. For now they didn’t notice anything suspicious. Stiles knew that his protective spells needed to wait for their renewal and expansion once the workers were done with the loft because there was a lot of remodeling going on which would only disturb or destroy the magic and intent put in such wards. But he did put up a few protective spells around the Stilinski house and garden. Just to stay on the safe side of things and for them to leave the sheriff and their daughter behind with less worry.

These days were busy with dividing their time between their tasks and family. When Derek wasn’t needed at Stiles’ practices and learning sessions with Deaton, he went to supervise the renovations or stayed with Beth to relieve Noah from his babysitting duties. (The poor man definitely deserved some time off after the last few darker months.) Other times it was Stiles who tried to balance his training and family life, as well as setting up his new position at the Sheriff’s station and keeping an eye on possible outside threats.

But now they were both on their way to the loft in the Camaro. Derek was behind the wheel while Stiles was chewing on the end of his pencil on the passenger seat, going through some construction plans and further ideas, his foot tapping out the rhythm of the rock song playing on the radio.

Derek didn't mind the busy life which had been unleashed unto them, the normalcy of family life. He had his daily therapy sessions which were planned around Stiles and Noah's work schedules, taking care of Beth and even taking her with him to the loft so she could get used to the idea after living with her grandfather for so long. Derek had prepared her for her room being upstairs, along with the guest room. It wasn't that much space up there, the rest was all the roof of the building where Derek was working on making herbal gardens and a greenhouse. An emissary needed all the strains of wolfsbane and he understood that but he didn't want them too visible. So high up on the roof, it wasn't going to be found easily.  
  
Stiles had been busy setting up his new position at the station, with his own little office and desk and even was handed a uniform, which had amused the Hale without end. To see Noah and Stiles in matching clothes, the older man wearing a big grin of pride, it had been a picture moment. Which of course had been printed and was now on the fridge and the two desks at the Sheriff's station. It was moments like those which reminded the wolf why they were doing this: Stiles and Noah grinning as they went to work together, Elizabeth picking colors very seriously as she played with all the color swatches in what was going to be her room and the way she had danced happily when Stiles and Derek had told her they had signed her up for pre-school. It was time to introduce her to other kids, starting with one day a week.  
  
Derek wasn't okay, and there was no pressure on him to be okay. But he had plenty of good days and lesser of bad days, which was an accomplishment on its own considering where he came from. Memories of his time in Hell slowly trickled in, causing new triggers, different kind of behavior and therapy helped him handle it more or less. Today? Today was a good day. They were going to look at the loft's progress and they were going to go furniture shopping.  
  
Never in his life had he gone furniture shopping. The couch and the bed had been ordered online and the furniture in New York had come with the apartment. His ex had picked out all the furniture for him in Washington DC so Derek had never set foot in such stores. But to his own surprise, he was looking forward to doing this with Stiles. To do this together and make it their home instead of only his. For now though, he wanted to take his mate to the roof to show his surprise of the work he had put in.  
  
"Do you have the list of furniture and things we need?"

"In my phone, yes," Stiles mumbled, half-paying attention as he was balancing the papers on his lap and in his hands. He quickly put the pencil sideways into his mouth and fidgeted in the seat to not so gracefully pull said device out of his jeans' pocket. Of course, a few plans and papers slid to the Camaro's floor from that, which resulted in a disapproving grunt and death-glares from the younger man.  
  
Either way, he pulled up the notes application and checked the list. It has grown quite long during their brainstorming and planning sessions. Obviously they took making the loft their own home seriously, but Derek gave more rein in furnishing it to Stiles. There were some nights when Derek had to literally pry the catalogs or the laptop from Stiles' hands to make him go to sleep. Or carry him to their bed when he fell asleep at the kitchen table on top of said ridiculously over-marked catalogs. Well... at least Derek couldn't accuse him of not taking this task seriously.  
  
"Want to add something to the list? I was thinking of a vine rack for the kitchen and a few big pots for plants to bring some extra life and color inside. As much as I love the industrial, simple look, I always kinda missed more nature from the loft. Oh and we'll definitely have to buy a scratching post for Little Red."  
  
She was their new red cat. A stray that had started following Stiles around with a strong interest in the young mage. Maybe it was drawn to his vibes or the magic. He couldn't decide. But it didn't take long for Beth to notice the cat lurking around the house and of course that led to the question if they could keep it. After they made sure it was really a stray and made Deaton check her out and give her some shots, she became their newest family member.  
  
To Derek's greatest delight. That expression and firm 'NO!' when he spotted Little Red in Stiles' arms was just as memorable as Deaton's when they turned up at the animal clinic and the vet realized that Derek had his eyesight back. Stiles will probably always regret that he didn't snap pictures of those moments.

"Yeah, yeah," the wolf sighed at the mention of the latest addition to their family. He wasn't a cat guy, wasn't even that into dogs but they had gotten the Irish wolfhound for Beth to have a companion. And he had to admit it was nice to have a dog around the house, even though it was a deaf one. Cats though? They disliked werewolves, they'd hiss and run off and be genuine assholes at even the scent of the alpha. But of course Stiles had to go and get a cat in their lives. A red big cat who had gotten tired of her unfortunate street life. Which made it harder to say no, because as much as he didn't want animal companions, he also didn't want to tell Stiles to keep it outside like some unwanted thing.  
  
The cat, named Little Red, because Stiles had a terrible taste for names, and Derek had tolerated each other. They weren't fond of one another but there was no drama or hissing either. Of course the stupid dog, the big idiot lug that he was, was pretty happy with a furry friend so Beth's room now had a cat and a dog at night. And Derek had bought a better vacuum cleaner.

"We've got plenty of space in the loft so I was thinking of making Little Red his own cat construction with scratching posts." Secretly the alpha had been browsing Pintrest for suggestions about making a house cat friendly and had found some really nice solutions to make use of the high ceilings. "Also going to make him a grass patch on the roof." Cats needed to be able to go outside in his opinion but living so high up meant no garden unless they would take her downstairs daily. So the plan was to get her own cat door up to the roof to catch her birds there.  
  
There was a side-glance to the very long list of things they wanted. There was no way they could do that in one day but he was confident that they could make a decent sized dent into it. No idea what he wanted to add to it, his wishes were simple and he wasn't into details as much as Stiles was. Making a house a home wasn't what he did, and he trusted Stiles to be the one to know how to make it homely for their daughter to enjoy living there.  
  
"I think I added what I wanted already." A bookcase had been one of his wishes and that had been it. He wasn't very helpful.

"Sooooo then... you asked for the list just to see me drop the papers all over the car in my failed attempt to balance them while picking my phone out of my pocket... I get it now!" Stiles 'accused' Derek with a dramatic sigh but then smirked at his mate happily. "And don't deny it, you are starting to get fond of Little Red. Be careful, your by the way brilliant idea shows it!" he exclaimed, clearly excited about the shopping for their new home. "Oh... old man armchair for Derek..." he quickly typed onto the end of the list, because often Derek did grumble like an old man, in his opinion, and of course Stiles loved to tease his mate with that.  
  
Stiles put his phone away just around the time Derek steered the Camaro in front of the building and spent the last minute while Derek parked to pick up the scattered papers.  
  
"You are also not telling me something. Are you planning something? What's that something?" he squinted his eyes at Derek when he finished. He knew his mate and also had the perk of being able to feel up his emotions (among other things) so he stared expectantly at the wolf, his bow-shaped lips pursed with suspicion.

Derek side-eyed his mate because he had only asked if he had the list, not that he had wanted to see it. The rest of what happened was purely Stiles being Stiles, spazzy, clumsy Stiles. Luckily they arrived at the loft so he didn't need to confirm nor deny what he thought about Little Red, some things were better left unsaid. Honestly though, living with a cat wasn't as bad as he had imagined it would be so he was slowly getting used to the idea that maybe he could learn to like cats. At least the ones like Little Red who tolerated having a werewolf close by.  
  
"You'll see," Derek said as he got out, smirking to himself because he knew the human was probably gaping after him for not even giving a hint. It wouldn't be a surprise if he already told him. As far as Stiles knew, the roof garden was going to be his project. But there was so much to be done and with their already busy lives, it wouldn't be done in time because the time to plant was going to be very soon. Or so he had been informed by Deaton when Derek had gotten an address where he could order seeds for the herbs Stiles was going to need as a druid.  
  
As they entered the building, they entered into chaos. They were working on the elevator so they had to take the many stairs. It had been Derek's idea to fix that one up first before the stairs since those were so much work, the wood rotting in many places. And he had never even bothered to sweep the central stairwell floors. The couple was in a good condition so Stiles wasn't panting too badly from taking all the stairs. Derek of course didn't even break a sweat. And in the loft was more chaos, because they were cleaning the stone walls now that the electricity had been replaced. Just cleaning because Derek liked the industrial look. The kitchen had been finished and the roof window had been fixed. Derek had thrown a tarp over it after Jennifer had burst through it. Upstairs was done, only needed cleaning and furniture.

All along while climbing the stairs, Stiles' mind was circling around the mystery he knew was there and Derek so confirmed it with his short comment. Needless to say, it only added to his excitement and impatience. Especially because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull it out of his very annoyingly stubborn mate. That, and because climbing so many stairs (even with a better than human physique) required for Stiles to breathe more.  
  
"Whoaaa! Dude!" Stiles looked around with his mouth hanging open. It was pure chaos still, but he could so see the huge progress the workers have done in not such a long time. Everything was starting to come together and take form like on their plans. It made Stiles literally vibrate with his usual nervous energy as his magic reacted to the excitement and got a bit loose around him. It sometimes happened when he got over-excited about something.  
  
"I can't believe they already finished with so many things!" he walked all over the place to take a better look (and occasionally get in the way of some workers). "If they continue with this pace, we can move in quicker than expected!" he cheered with his hands thrown into the air once he checked the replaced windows too.  
  
Despite everything they had to deal with, his heart felt light as a feather. It was one of his characteristics from an early age to be able to feel happy not just for the big but also the small things in life too. It was one of her mother's early teachings which has accompanied Stiles through his life. Yes, sometimes, when he was in a difficult situation or a very dark place, he had to remind himself on this teaching and it usually worked. Right now too when he knew Derek was still struggling with his memories and had bad days, but they were also both here, sharing these seemingly insignificant moments, which could become important memories in their future.  
  
So with that in mind he turned around and gave Derek a huge happy smile which perfectly reflected what he felt on the inside.

"They still have to install the heating," Derek warned his overly excited and cute mate. There was no heating at all in the entire building but it was pretty complicated to get a heating system going for an entire building. It had required talks with the state and the electricity company to get all the addresses they had been planning on making recognized in case they were going to be lived in. He wasn't going to ask rent but electricity and such had to be paid. For humans heating was important and it couldn't run on gas so the new ways to heat were complicated. Normally he'd say screw it and install a wood-burner but he wasn't comfortable with fire, especially not in the living space. So complicated it was.  
  
Reaching out, Derek pulled Stiles to the side before he'd bump into one of the workers, the wolf apologizing in Spanish. He had hired all Spanish workers and gave them a normal pay instead of abusing their illegal status, because stuff like that was important to him. He nodded to the circular stairs. "Let's go upstairs, it's finished there." Before Stiles would locate Jorge, the man in charge, to display all the new ideas to him. The Mexican man was patient with them, taking changes in stride since the more changes made, the longer they had work here.  
  
So Derek ushered Stiles up the stairs where there was a narrow hallway along the roof window before they'd get to the two bedrooms. It was also where they could go onto the roof but of course the Hale played innocent and showed the two rooms first. They were large and the windows had new glass as well, the wooden floors sanded and oiled. Beth's room had a pink wall, of course, because she had really wanted that so Derek had fixed up one of the rough walls with plaster so it could be painted. It had been Isaac's room but nothing reminded of the beta, his scent long gone and his stuff had been sent to Paris. It needed lamps and furniture and pretty much everything, same with the guestroom. There was no way the current bed was going to fit up the stairs so they had to get one they could put together which meant they were going to go to IKEA today. Derek wasn't a fan.  
  
"If we get more kids, they're going to have to share," he joked. The rooms were big enough to share for sure.

Since lately it was mostly Derek who came over to supervise (and occasionally join) the work, a lot of things were new to Stiles who was walking and looking around with amazement on his mole-dotted, slightly flushed face. He loved what he was seeing, especially upstairs.  
  
Turning around, he stepped to Derek in the middle of their daughter's for now empty room and took his hand so he could lead it around his waist. " _When_ we get more kids, they can. For a while. Then we can redo the other bedroom as a kid room too. Until then it can function as a guest room," he smirked up at Derek, his cheeks coloring a little bit more and his heart did that erratic skipping again which was so characteristic to Stiles when he was all emotional and excited.  
  
That's when he chose to slide his arms around Derek's neck to peck his lips. "I love everything so far. It's coming together nicely, even with my last minute ideas for changes. Poor Jorge... You chose the crew well, my wolf," he praised Derek because Stiles knew that it wasn't easy to find good construction workers nowadays. "I also love the way you talk to him in Spanish. It's hot, even if I understand only a little of it," he admitted and pecked Derek's lips again. "Oh... and you know that once they all are gone and everything is ready and we start furnishing the place, we'll have to... 'consecrate' each room – except for this – to make them our own, right?" he grinned playfully up into the green eyes.

 _When_. That promise made Derek duck his head as he smiled shyly, pleased with the idea of more kids. And he wasn't the only one blushing, Stiles' cheeks were a vibrant red as they grinned at each other like a couple of idiots. And then he had his arms full of his mate when he pressed closer to ramble against his lips. He chose well but he wasn't thinking of the crew, he was more thinking because of his choice of partner because obviously it was the best choice he had ever made.  
  
"You find it hot whenever I talk in another language," Derek chuckled, though he had to admit he took great pleasure in speaking Spanish, the way it would fall from his lips because he was as used to it as speaking English. He was pretty sure Stiles would find it hot even when he made up words as long as he could spend his time listening to the Hale speak. Slipping his hands around the human's waist, he pulled him closer to steal a kiss as well.  
  
"Correction. I find it hot whenever you talk in general. Regardless of the language. But when you do that on a foreign one, it's extra hot in my opinion," Stiles grinned back right before that kiss he got and very much welcomed.  
  
The idea of blessing the rooms with having sex was... fitting from them. And Derek was glad Stiles agreed to not do this room because their werewolf daughter had a strong nose, as had been proven when she had eaten half a bag of M&Ms that had been hidden by Stiles for Derek. Though she had gotten used to the scent of sex because there was only so much they could do to keep it clean from a very curious toddler who would run into the bedroom at the most inopportune moments. "I think there's one you'd like to start with then," a teasing grin tugged at his lips. "Go look outside." Sex in a greenhouse should be interesting.

"Oh, really? You pique my interest, Mr. Hale..." Stiles raised a brow once they pulled apart enough for him to take Derek's hand again. That restless energy around the druid intensified again from the teasing grin and tone. "I knew you were hiding something from me!" he said triumphant while starting to pull Derek out of the room and down towards the further end of the narrow hallway with a door that led to the roof garden and the newly constructed greenhouse for the future plants Stiles will grow. It was a must for antidotes, potions, balms and even spells for protection, healing and occasionally for attacks too.  
  
In the last months Stiles had been using all his free time when he didn't have to tend to a blinded, mostly insane mate or deal with their family, to learn as much as possible. Both from Deaton and the books he had lent and Stiles additionally got from secondhand bookstores or ordered from trustworthy sites. Well, aside from the growing digital collection on his laptop, Stiles was going to need his own bookshelves too because his library was growing steadily thanks to his studies. At least no one could accuse him of not trying to be a prepared emissary and mate. (In Derek's half-teasing opinion also a 'pack mom'.) There was also a smaller room in the back of the greenhouse he couldn't wait to furnish as his personal workshop. His very own space where he could close out the world and everyone to work and study in peace. That was the only thing that was a bit difficult with all of them living in the crowded Stilinski house and having a brain that tended to get distracted easily.  
  
But it was in arm's reach now, quite literally, and Stiles was excited to see their already mostly finished plans for real now, not just on paper. So far everything exceeded his expectations so he opened the door to the roof garden holding his breath.

The greenhouse still needed to be planted, but the rest Derek had secretly bought to make sure it would be an oasis of green already. When money wasn't an issue, it certainly opened up doors to buy precious herbs already growing. It had been Stiles' ideas he had used, and of course he had help of a professional gardener to make sure all the green had the right dirt and placement so they wouldn't die within the year. This was going to be their personal garden and it was important to the wolf as well to have greens around him. The Hale house had been right in the middle of the preserve, surrounded by trees.  
  
The reason why he had bought this building was because it wasn't in a crowded area, it was in the industrial part of town so there was enough privacy but they weren't cut off from the town. This was important to both of them and Derek had poured everything in it. Which meant he was almost nervous to show his mate who was so eagerly stepping outside. Of course Derek hadn't told him just how far it had come, to the human it was still just a roof.  
  
Now it was a garden and he had a feeling they'd be spending a lot of time here with the entire family. It was safe for pets, not as much for werewolf toddlers so they were going to have to keep an eye on her until she was old enough not to want to climb over walls she wasn't allowed to. Derek carefully looked at his mate's face, so he could see his full reaction. It maybe wasn't a proposal yet but it was the biggest engagement gift he could give, a green heart for them.

Stiles knew that he was being watched by Derek, but the second he stepped out onto the roof, he immediately understood why his mate felt kinda nervous. And the amber eyes widened as his jaw dropped from shock. The garden was nearly done, everywhere he looked he saw green and life instead of concrete.  
  
"Derek..." he choked out, taking a few steps ahead to see it better, his eyes jumping from one plant to the other, mapping out things as fast as his shocked brain could process. The bushes and small trees in pots, the glass structure of the greenhouse and even a sitting area with a roof and more plants over it where they could sit out to relax if they wanted... He could already see himself reading his books there or working out some new spell or helping Beth with her homework when she gets bigger or just lounging with Derek after a long day...  
  
The irregular heartbeat was back as he blinked and swallowed hard a few times. It felt like stepping into a completely different world with wonderful vibes because of all the life around them. Stiles went to a lavender bush and gently touched the lightly swaying plant's fragrant small flowers.  
  
"You did all this for us... for me..." he whispered hoarsely and amazed as he finally turned back towards his mate, a few happy teardrops sliding down on his face. He knew that even if they all were going to enjoy the roof garden, it was first of all a gift from Derek to him. "No one ever... did something so huge for me... I love it so much!" he sniffed and laughed a bit embarrassed by his tears. He made an attempt to wipe them off with the sleeve of his red hoodie, but only more ran down on his flushed cheeks. He wasn't sure he deserved something so huge, but he was over the moon from it. Even if standing there in the middle of the garden, he suddenly felt so lost inside from such a big gesture of Derek's love. Because he knew it was that. His mate's way to express just how much he loved and appreciated Stiles. (Perhaps also his way of thanking him for sticking around and tending Derek in the last few months instead of bailing out like many would have done.) And it shook the human to the core – hence the seemingly endless happy tears.  
  
He wanted to run over to Derek and jump up into his arms for an epic kiss, but he couldn't move. His sneakers seemed to be rooted to the spot as he stared at his amazing man with a smile and tears stubbornly rolling down his face.

The sight of Stiles' eyes widening as he took everything in was worth all the hard work. And Derek was so relieved he could _see_ the reaction and not only feel it. He could hear the rapid heartbeat while the human's head swiveled everywhere, attempting to see it all even though there was too much to take it all in so soon. Stiles realized though why Derek had done this, he had done it all for his mate. The moment he had seen all the drawings and plans for the roof garden, the Hale had realized it hadn't just been about growing the needed herbs. If that had been the case, a greenhouse and some planters would have been enough. But no, Stiles had wanted this oasis of green and had gotten so much written down that it was easy for Derek and the gardener to realize the fantasy.  
  
Whatever the reason was to get into gardening, because there was this emotional connection to it, Stiles had thrown himself into it so much that Derek suspected that maybe Claudia had been into gardening. The suspicion only deepened as he watched the younger man roam around, touching a few plants reverently while silent tears spilled from his eyes as if a faucet had been turned on. When Stiles Stilinski went all quiet like this, then Derek would pay extra attention. The human was loud, never stopped talking so when there was silence, the wolf listened.  
  
"I did it for you," he confirmed as he stepped closer to the frozen man who was watching him as if he was the biggest and best he had ever seen. Heart eyes. "Because I love you."  
  
The Hale reached out the brush some of the wetness from his mate's cheeks with his thumbs. He was a man of few words, small gestures, usually. Sometimes though, a big gesture was needed. Saying _I love you_ was easy, showing the love was a lot harder and in all this time, Stiles had to take a lot of drama. Their start together had been shaky at best, but instead of leaving, Stiles had stayed. So the big gesture had been needed, to make him feel at home in the large apartment building.

It was clear to see that the human was still rendered speechless. Derek was starting to get good at doing that to him, but he didn't mind this time at all. Stiles just placed his hands on Derek's wrists while his tears were being wiped off and looked up at the man in front of him as if he was Stiles' whole world. In that moment it was exactly how he felt. He worked hard for Derek to feel comfortable enough to express his feelings and love because the Hale wasn't that kind of a man. So Stiles wasn't used to such grand gestures from him. But he loved this one to bits.  
  
"I'm so fucking moved..." he admitted a bit hoarsely and sniffed. "Thank you so much! Even with the bonds you have no idea how much this really means to me," he swallowed hard and finally threw himself between the strong arms, hugging Derek painfully tight. "I love it! It's perfect!" he sniffed into the other's neck, his heart beating like crazy still. "Thank you for loving me. I love you too... so much that it sometimes hurts," Stiles added as he tried to pull himself together a bit.  
  
And finally he pulled back enough to kiss Derek on the lips. It was deep and full of his emotions. Not that Derek wouldn't feel those through their bonds, but he wanted him to feel just how much he appreciated all this and how much he really loved his mate. Because there was an urge or maybe doubt in him which always made Stiles think that the way he says and shows it was never enough.

Well, maybe not all of the emotions were transparent through their bond but they were visible with the tears and the way the voice cut off and how emotional the human got. Wrapping his arms around his mate tightly, Derek pressed him close to give him the hug he deserved and Derek rarely initiated. There was still so much to learn, but at least the human was patient enough to know it was going to take time with everything that had happened.  
  
"I think Little Red won't mind living in a loft now with a garden to roam in." It was big enough to hide in even, and it might attract birds to hunt. Kissing away the drying tears, Derek grinned at the suspiciously quiet human who had once again been rendered speechless. Derek should record the times that happened because they were rare events. "Go look around before you take me to experience IKEA."  
  
Honestly, he wouldn't mind staying right here and not get the IKEA experience at all, avoid the hordes of people and let their pale faces catch some spring sun. But their house was going to need furniture or they weren't able to move in. And apparently Stiles didn't believe in online shopping because _'Couches need to be tested, Derek_.' And Stiles wouldn't be Stiles if he hadn't done some online researching to see what IKEA all had and what he wanted. Pillows and a large carpet and plants, stuff for the kitchen because Derek owned three pans in total. Which was a shame for both of them since they loved to cook.

"I agree. She'll love it up here. Just as much as our daughter," Stiles agreed, beaming up at Derek before stealing another kiss and forcing himself to untangle from the tight hug. He was quite reluctant about it, but just like the weather, Stiles' moods could change fast too and that excitement from earlier was back full force from the opportunity to take a better look around and from going to IKEA. He loved that place and loved their meatballs even more. He'll so have to make Derek eat some. Maybe then if he liked the food, he'd be more willing to go the other times Stiles was planning on dragging him along for more shopping there.  
  
"You really outdid yourself with this garden. Have you had help?" he asked when he was already walking along the plants, stopping by each. They were planted like they should be and were all the ones he wrote on a list when he was planning what he'd want up here. His by then more sensitive nose also managed to pick up on a few faint yet familiar flowery scents and they mingled nicely, giving a relaxing smell to the garden.  
  
Continuing his exploration, he stopped near one of the raised plank walls and tore off two light green leaves just to lift it to his nose and take a sniff. "Mom loved nature. She used to have this little garden in the backyard and taught me the basics of gardening since I was small. She grew tomatoes, some beans, peas and cucumber too and had a nice flower garden as well. She used to have a patch of mint too which she'd put in our lemonade or we'd eat freshly picked while gardening," he said, putting one of the leaves into his mouth to chew on it and offered the other to Derek in case he wanted to try it. "Did you know that it's good for the stomach, stops the hiccups and also stimulates one's memory?" he smiled softly, clearly a bit lost in his memories. Maybe now Derek would understand why Stiles was extra happy about this garden. It reminded him of his late mother and some very fond childhood memories.

"I had help from a gardener because I had no clue about plants and planting them." Derek didn't grow up with gardens, their garden had been the forest and in New York they didn't even have a balcony, only the stairs in case of fire. There hadn't even been their own vegetable garden when growing up because nobody had time for that. Ingredients came from the local market, his mother hadn't been home enough to do much cooking. Aunt Felicia who hadn't been a real aunt had done much of the cooking as well as his grandmother. Whom had taught Derek all about cooking when he was a boy.  
  
Crossing his arms, Derek watched Stiles roaming around, touching more plants, checking their soil with a critical eye, stopping at the herb section. So it was something related to Claudia, he had thought as much and he glanced somewhere past Stiles with a smile, she had done well with him. And he was really glad his instinct about the garden had been right. Taking the offered mint leaf, he rubbed it between his fingers briefly. He knew how to cook with it, to make tea with it but not about the other uses. "Maybe I should drink mint tea daily then." For the memory problems since of course the rest didn't bother him that much.  
  
"We can grow vegetables in the communal garden. Or you can because I have no idea how." Didn't seem all that complicated but looks could be deceiving. Derek liked fresh products though, had a real liking to vegetables despite being American. And meat of course, meat was important too. However they were not going to have their own farm animals to butcher, that wouldn't go over well with Beth and Stiles because they'd get attached to the animals and give them names and protest about putting them down. The meat came in packages these days.  
  
Pulling Stiles close, he kissed him on the forehead, sensing the nostalgic mood. "Come on. Let's give your ideas to Jorge so we can buy a store empty."

"Yes! I'd like to try growing our own vegetables at some point. I liked the taste better and tending to them with my mom wasn't that hard. Or at least I remember it that way. I'll have to dive into studying how to grow them properly, though. It's been a long time," he smiled fondly from those memories and gave Derek a half-hug and a peck into the bushy beard for the forehead kiss. "And mint tea might be good for you, yes. Plus it's tasty and refreshing. In lemonade too," he agreed.  
  
"Oh, hey, wait, I still have to take a look at the greenhouse and my work room!" he protested and pulled Derek with him by his warm hand.  
  
The glass door led into a simple green house with a path in the middle and around two long empty boxes on a platform so he wouldn't have to lean down or crouch each time he was tending to the more delicate herbs and wolfsbane strands. The rich soil was still in bags which would go into the boxes. The sprinkler system was already installed too.  
  
Stiles looked and acted like a little boy on Christmas morning. He ran to everything to look at and touch in awe and happiness. "Hm... I was wondering... Won't the presence and scent of the wolfsbane irritate you in case you have to cross over here to get to me in the work room?" he asked with a light frown. He read it that how severe a reaction to wolfsbane can be depended on the wolf. Some would feel sick just from its scent. Others could be around the plants with only a little discomfort, but that was more the result of the knowledge that it was poisonous to wolves. Stiles never really stopped to think about how that might be for Derek.  
  
Sure, he had seen him poisoned by it, seen Derek light up the wolfsbane-laced gunpowder to rub it into his bullet wounds and remembered that there was a wolfsbane at Laura's grave, but Stiles never actually saw Derek around the living plants.  
  
"I don't want to accidentally poison you with the spores or something!" he said with big amber eyes and some worry as realization had hit him.

"It depends on the strain." Some were not as potent when in flower form, like the purple wolfsbane but once dried and made into powder? Very strong sleeping agent, it wouldn't kill nor harm much but potent enough to knock out an alpha werewolf and keep him out for a while, as Peter had proven when he had used it on Derek through Lydia. "The one I used for Laura? It hurts the hands but when wearing gloves it was fine. It's the one Lydia used to drug me and all of you."  
  
Yellow wolfsbane was worse, also more lethal when it got into the body. There were many strains, something Stiles was going to have to learn but they were best kept locked in this greenhouse so a very young beta like their daughter wouldn't get her hands on anything.

"Inhaling spores would be bad, not always lethal but bad. Without a wound, burning it out of the body." And if it was bad for Derek, it would be lethal for Beth. Not that wolfsbane would be good for humans, it was volatile and poisonous. Unfortunately it was a preferred method to get a werewolf and they weren't always lucky to know what kind it was and to get a bullet. So having it growing nearby to treat the poison would be able to save lives in the future.  
  
"We should lock the greenhouse to make sure no werewolf or animal could decide to get a taste. Buy some masks and gloves to make sure. And you need to shower after handling them to avoid getting spores to the werewolves." It wouldn't be dangerous with the right precautions, Derek wasn't worried. And he knew the strains of aconite and how to counteract them, should Stiles not know.  
  
"I've had all strains in my body. I don't think there was a more sensitive reaction to any of them. I might even have a bit of a build up against them with how often I had to use it on myself and how often others used it on me." Stiles had nothing to worry about.

"Plus you've got stronger with being mated to me and having a small pack again," Stiles nodded and drummed his fingertips against his lips, clearly thinking while mapping out everything in the greenhouse. "Yes, I'll make sure to do this the safe way. I was going to keep the greenhouse locked and line it with wards and perhaps mountain ash too to keep the plants and my workshop safe both from humans and supernatural creatures," he hummed, already walking towards the back room to check that out too.  
  
It might lock Beth and everyone out – including Derek – but it was something needed to be done. Plus it was going to be Stiles' private space. Like the forest for Derek when he went on runs and to check his territory. That was something Stiles rarely accompanied him to, both because he wanted his mate to have some alone time and also because he'd only slow him down. The need for some real privacy and space was something they both respected when it came to the other. And for that Stiles loved Derek even more.  
  
The workshop wasn't too spacey by any means, but there was a lot of light from the glass roof of the greenhouse. It had real walls though, a big floor-to-roof empty bookshelf, lockable wooden cabinets with empty glass bottles in every sizes and there were two large wooden tables by one of the walls, their top resembling a kitchen counter top to be easier to keep it clean. There was also a small sink and fridge in one of the corners and two wooden stools to sit down while working.  
  
Stiles had another one of his huge smiles on his face as he looked around, opening and closing every door and drawer, already planning on where to put his growing collection of books and potions and balms.  
  
Derek didn't even mind the idea of the little glass house warded from him since it was Stiles' space and he'd only do it to keep it a safe room for everybody, not because he wanted to keep secrets. Warding it with mountain ash would keep Beth out for sure and a lock would keep the animals out.

"I was thinking of training with mountain ash because I was able to touch it to destroy my eyes in my bout of insanity so there's potential there." It would actually be a big advantage if he was able to get through mountain ash since many hunters used that to trap wolves.  
  
"That's a good idea. I was surprised that you managed to touch the ash in the first place. We should definitely get more into such a practice for you. It can come handy when there's a need for you to break a line for some reason," Stiles agreed with his mate. It was something he's been thinking about too but forgot to bring up during all the things that were going on lately.  
  
The greenery wasn't big but Derek had used the part of the roof which was solid enough to make a garden on, the rest had to remain as it was. If Stiles would be running out of space, they could always build a greenhouse on the ground floor garden with the non-lethal herbs. But he was going to let Stiles handle that, who seemed to be very happy with it so maybe he didn't mind the limited space.

"Any balms and remedies you finished can also be moved to whatever room you want to use to treat injured wolves." Derek wasn't even sure if they were going to have the building filled up with pack but he didn't want them all in this garden. It would also be quicker to get an injured body into a room on the ground floor. Plenty of space. Besides a communal living room and library, the plans for the ground floor hadn't been finalized. It wasn't something he worried about at the moment.  
  
"Oh, I'll use this space more like storage when it comes to remedies and healing stuff. The majority will be more at hand wherever we'll decide to set up a room for the injured to treat," he agreed once again. It was not decided yet, but it was definitely in their minds and plans to make such healing sessions as quick as possible. "I'll also have to teach you which works on what kind of injuries or sicknesses."

"This is just like I imagined too!" he exclaimed, this time doing the running to Derek to jump up in his arms, long limbs going around his mate's waist and neck. "Thank you! I love you even more for this! It's perfect!" he giggled before kissing his mate again. "I'll sooooo enjoy consecrating this room with you!" he grinned at him mischievously.

The wolf watched as Stiles peeked everywhere, even though it was clear all the cabinets were empty. Maybe he was checking the space and already planning in his head what went where, Stiles was good at the mental lists. And then he had his arms full of an eager mate who had pretty much jumped into them, making Derek huff out a startled laugh. "We should do that soon before you start planting. Wolfsbane on my ass won't be a pretty sight."  
  
And probably when the workers weren't there because that would be very awkward otherwise. Planting a kiss on those grinning lips, the Hale shook his head amused. "Come on, we should get going or we'll have a home without furniture." Who knows when the next crisis will happen? There never was much time for this so they should make use of it now that they could.

Stiles snorted from that mental image of Derek having wolfsbane stuck to his ass. It'd be also painful for the wolf. "Okay fine, we'll do it before that, I promise," he playfully bit his mate's bottom lip, tugging on it a few times before releasing it. "And we'll also have to have sex on those very comfortable looking couches outside..." he added kissing Derek again. It was one of those days when it was difficult for Stiles to keep his hands and mouth to himself around his mate, it seemed. But with a sigh he finally gave in. "Okay, fine... Let's get going... But you'll have to carry me to the door that leads inside. I insist!" he grinned then dived down to scent and kiss Derek's stubbly neck, not minding it tickling his cute nose.

Considering the fact that usually Derek was the one getting injured, he didn't know if it was needed for him to learn what worked on what but sharing knowledge would be a good idea so both of the Alpha pair knew what they were doing if one of them was incapacitated. Or when Stiles was too hands on to be able to concentrate. Like now. Now Derek was mostly tempted to send the workers home and take their time to have sex everywhere they wanted to. His mate was tempting and unfortunately the human knew it all too well what kind of an effect he had on the Hale.  
  
"I'm not going to let you tempt me into staying here," he grumbled as his hands went under Stiles to keep him up. They had stuff to buy, there was no way he could offer Beth an empty home because they had been too busy being horny little teens having sex all over the place. They could be responsible parents and teens at the same time.  
  
Keeping Stiles as he was, Derek carried him over to the door and then put him down because he didn't want to get wolf whistles from the workers if they would get downstairs like this. The men had been surprisingly open to having to work for two gays. It didn't seem like they cared all that much. Derek certainly never got any negative feelings when he was around them.

"Pretty sure you should take the stairs yourself or this is going to be a trip to the ER." The stair opening with the circular stairs was too narrow to jump down from, unfortunately. He wasn't too fond of stairs and would prefer to avoid them if he could and these? They were a menace put there to force him to take all the steps.  
  
" _Jorge, nos vamos a comprar muebles_!" The wolf called out to the older man when he spotted them and the man laughed, giving an exuberant little wave.  
  
_"¡Bien! Esta casa está demasiado vacía, ningún hombre debería vivir así._ "  
  
Derek didn't know if he should be insulted or give into the truth of that statement. He had lived like this for a while, probably too long. So he shrugged instead and swatted Stiles on the ass to get him going.

Stiles giggled from that slap on his ass and turned a bit red. It was better than his previous pouting after not being able to entice Derek into engaging into some dirty time on the roof. But he was right, they had to get going if they wanted to actually get some furniture shopping done that day. Though... the fact that Derek just talked in Spanish wasn't helping.  
  
If the elevator worked, Stiles would've pressed Derek against its wall for a serious kissing session while it descended with them onto the ground floor. Instead they had to take the stairs down again and even Stiles knew that any attempt for such a descent would also make them end up in the ER. So instead he opted to talk.  
  
"What did you just say to Jorge? It sounded _so_ sexy. I have no idea what you said, but it was hot. Made me want to climb you again in front of everyone," he chuckled as they left another landing and continued their way down. "Oh and we'll have to do it here on the stairway too, you know! This is part of the building as well. We cannot leave this place out either!" he chuckled before jumping off from the last two stairs to the next landing. Of course he nearly lost his balance, but put out a hand to stop himself from staggering against the wall. Not that the clumsiness was anything new for either of them.

"I told him we were going furniture shopping and he said the house was too empty and no man should live like this. It wouldn't be funny if he'd know I lived like that," Derek chuckled, shaking his head when his mate nearly face planted on the landing of the third floor. The stumble echoed into the hallway and the emptiness of the entire floor. Unused old apartments greeting the sound by throwing it right back.  
  
Right, doing it here on the stairs while Stiles barely could jump down two steps seemed like asking for trouble. Maybe they should do it on the last steps all the way down so it wouldn't be turning into Derek carrying Stiles to the car and having to explain to Melissa and Noah what they were doing when Stiles had decided to fall down the stairs. Again. Maybe they should bubble-wrap the human or put plush against the walls and on the floors, soft cushioned carpet. Not that it would help, Stiles could get himself injured in an empty room, it was a gift of his.  
  
But this time they managed to get to the car unscathed, mostly. There was probably a bruise somewhere on the younger man from his stumble. And of course Derek opted to drive because after all this time, it was a huge relief to be able to drive in his own car again now that he had his sight back. So he took every chance he got to get behind the wheel, especially now when the nearest IKEA was a two hour drive. Might have been better to take the jeep but since they were never going to fit a couch into any car, their stuff had to be delivered anyways and it had to be delivered when the workers were done so a few weeks from now. Might as well dish out the money to get everything delivered.  
  



	2. 14: Renewal - Part 2

**14: Renewal – Part 2**

Entering the address of the store into the navigation, Derek glanced at Stiles and grumbled something about being traumatized once they'd arrive because of the huge store and the many people. "I'm going to develop Stockholm syndrome." Dad jokes in full force.

"Oh. My. God. You did not just make that joke!" Stiles stared back at Derek then burst out in a fit of laughter. "God, I love you so much Derek Hale!" he wheezed out, holding his stomach over the seat belt, the other hand wiping a tear away. He just couldn't get enough of Derek's dad jokes and dry humor. He was one of the few who really appreciated that in the seemingly always brooding werewolf.  
  
Heart eyes. That's what he gave Derek once he could breathe again. Eyes still shining with laughter, cheeks pink from laughing so hard.  
  
The look Derek had when Stiles burst out into laughter couldn't be described as anything but a preen for his joke being appreciated. Scott would always look at him like he had grown two heads when Derek had thrown dry snark his way, Isaac certainly hadn't appreciated it but now he was surrounded by beings who all, some begrudgingly, appreciated his remarks. Stiles was one of the few who would get into a laughing fit and it wasn't even fake either. That kind of response teased more out of the Hale as well. Often he did it to troll others but with Stiles it was different. With Stiles he could do it because he wanted to make him laugh. His mate never disappointed with that.  
  
If anything, Stiles would look at him like Derek hung the moon and that look happened a lot lately since they grew closer and closer since they started their adventure like four months ago as a couple. Only four months, it seemed like they had been together a lifetime, and it felt so right.  
  
"Alright, let's get going you little joker. The furniture won't buy itself. Plus some yummy meatballs and cakes await us as a reward for our hard work!" he exclaimed, bumping a fist into the air before putting his hand on Derek's nape to pull him in for a hot little kiss. It promised more for later.

The second they hit the road, it found Stiles fumbling with the radio in search of some nice music to accompany their little road trip. In the end he stopped on a classic rock station and began humming then singing to 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor which just started playing. He was in a very good and energized mood.

Stiles controlled the music the rest of the way and the older man didn't mind as much. Rock music was fine, it wasn't what he'd usually listen to, but his hearing appreciated the beat and the guitars and Stiles' voice screeching out the lyrics. He couldn't hold a tone and it was kind of adorable how determined the human was to keep on singing, cracking up each time he was out of tune, only to keep on singing. Derek moved with the beat sometimes but he wasn't comfortable with the songs to sing along, he was okay with Stiles only hearing him sing stupid kid songs when Beth was watching TV or Youtube videos.  
  
After nearly two hours, they arrived at the large building, blue of course with yellow letters. Plenty of cars there, but since it was a weekday, it wasn't as crowded as Derek had feared. The car was parked and apparently they didn't need a cart yet because they were to go through the showroom first with these little papers and pens to write down the numbers of the items they wanted. It was huge, it had marked paths and all these setups like actual rooms.

"We should pick a room we like and write down all the items." Quick and efficient.

Quick and efficient weren't the things that were on Stiles' mind, though. They were buying furniture for _their home_ , and if there was something Stiles took seriously, it was creating a home that felt safe, warm and cozy. A space to retreat to, warded with protective spells to avoid break-ins and fights there. After all, one's home being invaded was one of the easiest ways not to feel safe there. And it was important for the druid to make their home safe and likable because of their daughter too. Her safety and happiness were top priorities for both of them.  
  
"Roger that!" Stiles pulled his phone out to open the notes and start a new one, not caring about papers and pens just typing in the first room. It was a display of living room furniture, which was a good start. He immediately gravitated towards the coffee tables and couches. He was the kind of a person who'd check things with touching and trying them out, so in no time his long fingers were sliding across the wood, glass and textures of the objects, humming to himself or occasionally asking Derek's opinion and telling his own likes and dislikes.  
  
"Okay, I'll add this round coffee table thingy with the geometric patterned round ottoman. We'll need two or three of those," he announced while typing away on his phone. "But we'll need at least two couches. I think a bigger and a smaller one. They don't have to match aside from some similar colors since we go for a friendly yet simple decor," he added, watching Derek approach the nearest couch on display.

What they needed with two or three of those chairs, he had no idea but Stiles seemed adamant so Derek simply agreed with it. They could always sell it again if it all wouldn't fit. Or bring it back, that probably was an option too. The chairs were way too colorful with the printed fabric but they both had liked it because it was with red so of course it had to come.  
  
His eyes fell on a large couch, he liked large couches after all. It was a shiny black leather and in a simple design, a very manly couch. And as he sank into it, it was very comfortable. Cold to the touch, which meant Stiles might not be a big fan of it. He sprawled to test it further, because Stiles never sat in a couch normally and Derek himself liked to stretch out when he had a book in his hands. At the loft he had always done that in bed but at the Stilinski house, there hadn't been a bed in the living room. And there wasn't going to be one at the loft anymore either. There was going to be a bedroom for them, like the adults they were supposed to be.  
  
"Not bad, I like it. Come and sit," Derek patted the space next to him, a dull sound on the thick leather. Maybe black was a little too dark but then again, it was really handy with pets and toddlers, probably could deal with fluids as well. All in all, a couch for all purposes.

"It looks like an old man's couch. All grumpy and broody..." Stiles commented, but plopped down on it next to Derek either way. He understood the practicality of such a couch with their family and the occasional blood stains that might happen on them too, though. "It's comfy though..." the younger man slid lower on it then got into a laying position, fidgeting to find the most comfortable pose.  
  
He didn't mind that he bumped into Derek a few times, as mates they were comfortable with zero personal space between them. Plus the wolf had probably gotten used to the occasional kicking and flailing arms while Stiles was sleeping, so yeah...  
  
How could a couch even look grumpy and broody? It made no sense at all, black leather wasn't an old man's taste, it was modern and minimalistic and it would fit into any room without being out of place. It would fit with the black and red of the ottomans they had already written down and Stiles would be able to put his load of throw pillows on it like he did with every surface needing some comfort. Pleased that Stiles was at least willing to try it despite all his complaints, he watched his mate get comfortable, too comfortable.  
  
The couch proved to be better than Stiles first expected, but also a tad bit too slippery for the restless human, who fidgeted until he actually slid off the leather surface, landing on his side with a painful "oof".

It was like watching a noodle slide off a surface, making Derek laugh at the way the other would simply find himself on the floor like it wasn't anything new. Which it wasn't. This was pretty normal actually, as was the way he had shifted around on the couch.

"Yeah, slippery leather like this isn't going to work." He could already imagine the many grumbles which would happen each time Stiles would find himself on the floor because he had been too vigorous in his moving around. They needed a couch able to deal with ADD movements. Besides, if Stiles would slide off it so easily, Beth would too.  
  
Reaching over, he helped Stiles up with another snort. "I like a couch we can have sex on." Without having to worry about it creating painful encounters when one or both of them would end up on the ground. It wasn't that easy though, Stiles would pick ones Derek didn't find practical, because cream-colored? Not good for them. Bright green couch? Nope. Or the one they agreed on turned out to be uncomfortable to sit on and it was starting to feel like a game of musical couches.  
  
As Stiles was hanging upside down on another monstrosity and Derek was watching him with a tilted head, his eyes caught a ceiling lamp he really liked. It was like a sun, modern sun. All copper and brass and when turned on, it gave off a warm light. "We're taking that one home."

Still grinning from Derek's 'sex on the couch' comment, Stiles lifted his head a bit from his upside down position to see what had caught his mate's attention and liking. "Oh, that's a pretty awesome lamp indeed. I like it!" he agreed and then managed to roll off the couch without further injuring himself. "It'll fit into the industrial look and also gonna be a unique spot in the living room," he beamed up at his mate and quickly put that lamp on their steadily growing list. There were some black and white and light brown carpets on it too and of course a lot of throw pillows – Stiles' favorite. He always said there isn't such a thing as too many throw pillows... And in the end he had managed to persuade Derek to get a smaller sofa with a colorful geometric design which reminded him more of an Indian style but would go well with the ottomans.  
  
"Oh! Oh, look at that!" Stiles exclaimed as they moved towards the next display and his eyes got caught on a big dark beige couch. It looked like soft leather, but it wasn't as slippery as the first. And it was huge and inviting-looking. And VERY comfortable. "It'd go with the light brown carpet and ohhhh my god... It's comfy!!! And big enough to have sex on it in all kinds of positions!" he chirped, not really caring if anyone heard them, but luckily there weren't many people in that section.  
  
Not that he'd have stopped himself from pulling Derek down on top of him. "What do you think? I think we found the one..." he grinned up at his man, putting his arms around his neck. "Plus it feels good to touch it and the label says it's coated by a layer which makes it easy to keep clean from stains and fluids and whatnot..." he wiggled his brows and shamelessly put his legs around Derek's waist too. "What do you say? Can you see yourself fucking my brains out for example, in this position?"

It was way too light in his opinion. Derek liked things dark and gloomy as Stiles often pointed out so a dark beige couch had his down-vote already, simply because of the color. It was big though, big enough to handle a 6' man like him stretched out, or so it would seem with the way Stiles had stretched out on it. It would have been plenty enough proof for him since they didn't have that much height difference but it seemed it was a day full of active participation because he was pulled down and he went with it easily. Kind of hard to test the comfortableness of the couch with being on top of a bony human but he wasn't moving so easily. Instead he peeked around to see if there was anybody around to see them. Not yet.  
  
He pushed against his mate with a mock thrust as if they were having sex. "You had me at coated by a layer." He was too practical to care much about how it looked and he didn't want Stiles to think ‘ _they were living in a dark cave’_ , the Stilinski's words, not his. A lighter couch might make a difference in the dark space, if it made Stiles happy. There wasn't anything Derek wouldn't do for his mate to make him happy, including a couch.  
  
Voices sounded so they didn't have much time, and the wolf quickly kissed the other before sitting back to create some decent distance without getting kicked out of IKEA. "I'd give you a demonstration but..." But there were people coming and this wasn't some porn shoot. Sadly. But they found a couch and a sofa, so they were making a dent into their needs for the main living area. The kitchen already had a table and chairs but it needed some decorations and such, for now it was just a functional room. And some bookcases, he wanted those for sure.  
  
"Write it down."

"Sweet!" Stiles giggled as he sat up too with a light flush on his cheeks, although he already missed the warmth (and pushes) of his mate from above him. He'd have loved that demonstration too, but yeah... public place and all that bullshit... It wouldn't be a good start at the Sheriff's office to be caught doing something indecent in the middle of IKEA.  
  
But Stiles was happy from winning the round over the second couch too. Of course, he knew Derek had a hard time saying 'no' to him and really meaning it. And he was going to exploit that need of his wolf to see him happy in situations like this. Shamelessly.  
  
Next came the bookcases Derek was nearly literally drooling over. Not that Stiles didn't, but yeah, he blamed those on the vintage looking lamps and wooden crates which were going to fit right in with the industrial style of the loft and function as coffee tables or night stands. About which role they didn't manage to get to an agreement yet. Where Stiles really went wild was the decorations and different kind of curtains and kitchen supplies like cutlery and plates and glasses. Good thing money wasn't an issue...  
  
"You know... you just made another dream of mine come true," he said off-handed as with one hand he typed in the plates they had picked, the other holding Derek's. "I always wanted to come to a place like IKEA without needing to worry about money... Are you my sugar daddy now?" he teased Derek, but there was also some gratefulness in his voice. "Though I'll want to add in at least a little from my savings." Finances was kind of a recurring topic for them.

Money was something that came up between them from time to time. Stiles used his credit card often so he knew what color it had and what it signified. Derek was loaded, money wasn't going to be an issue since he came from old money and the life insurances of the family had all been paid out. Peter had his own money, Cora had received her share of what had been there because Derek had used his share to invest. Which meant he didn't need Peter's money, he didn't need anybody's money. He was a self-made man who had bought a lot of buildings and had turned a few into apartment buildings he also received rent out of. Stiles had never asked him about his money, mostly because Derek didn't exactly flaunt it. The car he drove was expensive, but it hadn't even been his and only in moments like realizing a garden roof or hiring workers to renovate the loft or like now, was when it showed.  
  
Derek Hale wasn't the typical rich guy, because money wasn't an issue but he didn't treat it like he had money to burn. But, technically he was older than Stiles in the way humans counted years so that kind of made him a sugar daddy if they went by the definition. Not a title he wanted. He was enjoying his ability to make dreams come true for his mate, and as alpha, to be able to provide for his family made him feel content. Still, he flashed a grin.  
  
"Maybe I should make you pay for this with your body." It was supposed to be flirty and teasing, however there were people walking behind them who were scandalized and they gasped and rushed by, throwing them looks. Sometimes Derek wasn't suited to be let run free in normal social events like shopping at IKEA. "Because I don't want you to use your savings. When we're married, my money is just as much yours anyways." There was actually so much Stiles didn't even know about what Derek all owned.

Not caring about the shocked people around them, Stiles chuckled and bumped his hips against Derek's as he slid an arm around his mate's waist so they could continue walking like that. "I'll gladly pay for everything with my body if that makes you happy," he murmured and pressed a kiss against the other man's cheek. Those who couldn't handle such signs of affection could go fuck themselves as far as Stiles was concerned. But they got no comments so they continued like that, the mage content. He knew once they were married, things would change legally, if not anything else since they are already living like a married couple.  
  
The rest of their stay at IKEA went without any bumps. The list got considerably shorter and Stiles managed to persuade Derek to get a cart so they could buy and take smaller stuff home so their online order wasn't going to be a mile long.  
  
Of course, he made the wolf eat some of the famous Sweden meatballs and there was room for some cakes too. They bought some for the go too for Beth and also because Stiles had a sweet tooth and could eat hourly. It was still a wonder since it never showed on him.  
  
All in all, the day was considered a success and Stiles felt very smug about giving Derek a relatively good time – despite the occasional grumps. But Derek couldn't fool Stiles, he knew his mate had fun too and it was a plus that no triggers had happened. Stiles wanted to believe that it was a sign that Derek had finally started finding a way to deal with the trauma that had happened to him and his soul.


	3. 14: Renewal - Part 3

**14: Renewal – Part 3**

It wasn't big news or anything, it hadn't been covered by anything but local press but it still had caught attention of some people, including him. That black circle in the woods, captured in all its deadly glory with a camera, diminished by the quality of the newspaper that had printed it. A perfect circle, scorching everything in its path. The article itself held no interest, just some words and theories he didn't give a fuck about. No, it was the picture which had captured his attention, and the name of the town where it happened.  
  
Beacon Hills.  
  
No idea where that even was. It didn't sound so spectacular, not a town he wanted to settle in. Or so he thought because when he googled it with the option on his phone to read out things for him, tons of articles were appearing about the many deaths in the town, all thought to be done by a mountain lion. YEAH RIGHT. He snorted when he read it. Would people even believe that? Probably. Weirdos! Some more snooping revealed the promise of a Nemeton and druids, which was actually part of his heritage. Huh, what were the fucking odds? Druids all the way in California! Made sense, because that huge black circle? It was for sure created by a fucking Spark! And where there were Sparks, there were werewolves.  
  
"Dude!" he exclaimed loudly with his earplugs in, beaming a smile towards the others in the internet cafe when they looked up at him. Fuck ‘em! He was going to Beacon Hills. It took more googling to figure out how to go there, because it wasn't like a plane landed there. Would be way too expensive too. But by train it was going to work, if he would steal a few more wallets to buy food along the way. Deleting the search history, he logged out and went on his way. California had nice weather, right? He could use some sun. Lots of sun.  
  
As it turned out though, there was not a lot of sun. There were lots of trees in Beacon Hills, which had, predictably, hills too. Nice big houses, nothing that screamed like they were used to somebody like him. This was how it must feel to land in Texas or something, like he was an alien.  
  
"Hey man, do you know where the big black circle is? No? Okay, thanks for FUCKING NOTHING," he shouted after him, giving two middle fingers. Fine, he'd find it himself then. Which turned out to be letting somebody take him because fuck this stupid town with all the trees. Somebody had said in the preserve. _Helloooo, the entire area was a fucking preserve!_ But there was an actual fucking preserve here, the signs said so. The black site was... just a burned up piece of nothing. But there was a hint of scents he could pick up on, and those were the scents he followed, because it had a hint of alpha. Which meant bingo! So much bingo!  
  
Hours later his euphoria of the bingo had lessened because the scents were all over town and how the fuck was he supposed to find them when he couldn't even find their house?

"Holy fuck!" Despairingly, after hitting another dead end, the man was contemplating running into a wall to end his misery because how could a big dead circle in the woods be easier to find than the two people connected to it?! Sighing, he didn't give up. He was going to find them, one way or another.  
  
Hours later his patience, what little he had of it, paid off. Ending up at this house that was way too normal and boring for a Spark and alpha but it reeked of them so it had to be it. Except, there was nobody home. Because that was his life. Dejectedly he sat down on the steps.

***

It had been a long day and it wasn't even evening yet. Therapy had been rough, Beth was at pre-school for the day and the Stilinski men were at work together. So Derek hadn't wanted to get back to the house, not wanting to have the emptiness he wasn't used to anymore so he had bought a box of donuts and had decided to hassle his mate at the sheriff's office. As usual though, Stiles could read his face so well that he took one look at the Hale, followed by Noah doing the same and it resulted in the older Stilinski sneaking a donut as he told Stiles to take _him_ home. Him, like he was a wayward puppy.  
  
There were no complaints though, having a few hours to cuddle up to Stiles, watch TV and have sex sounded good to him. He just needed to convince the human that yes, he was fine. It had been an intense morning but he wasn't going to have a flashback. Apparently he looked like it might be a bad day and Stiles had insisted on driving and kept sneaking glances at his pale face. All that care made him want to dive his face right into his mate's crotch to suck him off in appreciation. But Derek was willing to wait until they were at the house before doing that.  
  
But… there was somebody sitting on the sidewalk, legs stretched out, face turned towards the sun. Long hair spun brown-golden in the rays as a smooth pretty face was framed by it. When the car parked, his eyes opened, revealing an intense, almost azure blue color. It was a stranger, not somebody he had seen in Beacon Hills before because he'd remember somebody like that. Frowning, Derek glanced at Stiles before he got out, the scent of another werewolf hitting him strong. So it began. They had known omegas might start looking for an alpha, and this one might be here for that.  
  
Except... when Derek stood there, the other grinned at him and rushed forward... not to attack, because nothing about it screamed attack. No, arms wrapped around Derek as he was pulled into... a hug? Oh god, he was being hugged. By a stranger.

Stiles' worries for Derek immediately transformed into a worry for the stranger. One only had to look at Derek to see that his alpha was both surprised and annoyed by the unexpected physical contact. Frankly, Stiles has never seen anyone being so bold as to go up and hug his mate – well, okay Stiles did that, but that was different because of the mate thing and all. But this guy... he had some balls. Or was just very stupid. He was also someone Stiles didn't recognize and it was saying something because he had a good memory. Especially when it came to faces. And this guy's face was unique and pretty enough not to be forgotten or confused with someone else’s.  
  
With a raised brow, the druid got out from behind the wheel too. His curiosity was starting to take over, but he kept his guards up. It was a funny thing that for the first time since he had mated with Derek and his senses got a bit enhanced, he could smell that the guy was a wolf. He had a similar yet very different scent compared to Derek and Beth’s, but it wasn't an unpleasant one. His other senses and magic were also working on mapping out the intentions of the guy, but no alarm bells were ringing yet. Besides, Stiles suspected that Derek could sniff out if the guy had bad intentions. Once he had explained to Stiles that such intentions kinda make people smell wrong.  
  
"Friend of yours?" Stiles stopped a few steps away from his mate, who was still trapped in that hug. It was getting awkward even for 'the King of Awkwardness' that Stiles was most of the time.

The werewolf sensed that the alpha didn't like to be hugged. He stiffened completely, every muscle growing hard under the touch while the body primed itself for attack. It only made him hug harder because how can a werewolf dislike touches? That's like the biggest and saddest thing he had encountered in a while. If the hug persisted, so he reasoned, the dark-haired male had to give into it, maybe even enjoy it a little bit. But that didn't happen, and the Spark was looking at them confused.  
  
"That's so fucking sad," the younger wolf announced, pulling back and keeping his eyes slightly averted, offering neck in the more traditional greeting. It was to pay the alpha respect, a sign of submission without rolling over because the red eyes hadn't been flashed his way so that meant it was okay. Maybe? This one confused him. However, it did make sense why the scents had thrown him off so much. This young alpha, who looked to be around his age, was mated to the Spark.  
  
There were a few tense moments before the alpha leaned in to press his nose against the offered neck. No biting happened, so phew! No dying today, fuck yeah! The doom averted made the young man bounce over to Stiles to pull him into a hug as well. Come on, hugs were nice!

No, this wasn't a friend of his, because Derek’s friends knew not to hug him like that. They'd at least give it a warning before wrapping their arms around him in such a proprietary manner. And a friend wouldn't make the hug last way too long for it to be a 'normal' greeting so Derek was mostly caught between doing some damage to this unknown werewolf or to glance at Stiles to make it stop before said damage was going to happen. As alpha, the wounds would last longer to heal when inflicted upon a beta and that was the only thing keeping him from ripping into the beta. That and it was in the middle of the day and the Sheriff's house was always watched by nosy neighbors.  
  
Derek bristled when he was called sad, insulted at being judged when the stranger didn't know him or anything about him. But, with a put upon sigh, when a neck was offered, he did return the proper greeting of Alpha meeting beta in a friendly manner. So this one was born werewolf. Bitten ones of his age rarely knew how to handle themselves in front of an alpha, they'd offer a hand or didn't even realize there was one standing right in front of them.  
  
And then the idiot had to go and hug Stiles, his mate, right in front of him. Derek’s look darkened. A growl was uttered in warning.

"Whoa, hi!" Stiles said a bit amused from the sudden hug he found himself in, although he half-expected it to happen after the bold embrace Derek got. His mind was still processing that fact, which showed that this guy was indeed not a dear friend but a stranger who had no idea how Derek liked to keep everyone at arm's length. Well, except for those who were close to him.  
  
Stiles awkwardly patted the guy's back with one hand and rolled his eyes at Derek for the warning growl and dark look which promised death to the beta for daring to touch his mate. Although a part of Stiles was very happy about these reactions, he didn't wish this poor pup's death by alpha claws and fangs.  
  
"Down boy, he's just hugging me too. Which is kinda nice, to be honest," he said to Derek then pulled back. Oh, Stiles knew Derek was going to be all over him to scent him and eradicate all the remaining smell of the beta on him. And frankly, he was so very okay with that. Any sign of affection towards him from Derek was always very welcomed.  
  
Looking at the blue-eyed guy, Stiles tilted his head to the side, like a wolf would, studying the stranger. "So... Hi. Again. Who are you and why did we get the, frankly, unexpected hugs? Aaaand..." he exchanged a quick look with Derek before re-focusing on the guy "... we'd also like to know why you are here?"

See, this was how people were supposed to react to hugs, by hugging back and genuinely appreciating the harmless gesture that it should be. People were so fucking uptight these days, man! The human hugged back and gave off surprise but nothing harmful, but the alpha looked at him as if he was about to rip into him if he had the chance. And he wasn't even scenting the Spark or anything, he was only being super friendly and keeping his hands and nose to himself, so he was being good!  
  
Glancing towards the alpha, a nervous dart of the big blue eyes to make sure there were no fangs sinking into his skin just yet, he shrugged. "I like hugs, they are friendly and warm." This time a side-eye to the dark-haired male because some people just didn't appreciate a good hug! Wrapping arms around somebody wasn't fucking offensive or anything, but humans always got so fucking prissy about their personal space. Who even needed fucking space? Pffft, bullshit! Also, the alpha was around his age and shouldn't be so cold, it made him wonder what all happened to make him so dark and jaded.  
  
"I'm Tyr, I heard about the dark spot and I knew what that meant so I came to join the pack." He glanced past the two to the house which didn't seem very big to house a whole pack but it did have other scents. "So, where is the rest of your pack? Can't wait to fucking meet them!" The long-haired male bounced on his feet, giving the two a curious wide smile.

  
_Tyr_

Derek's eyes narrowed at the bold werewolf because some people just didn't like strangers initiating intimate touches and he better learn that fast. No hugging Derek Hale without at least asking before doing it. Not that the answer was going to be yes. Not with one all over his mate like that, even if it was only to hug. And when the young wolf mentioned the 'dark spot,' his hackles were up, way up. The Hale sidled up close to Stiles to form a united front, the innocent beta suddenly far more a threat than first assumed. This Tyr knew what it meant, and though he didn't really expand on that, it would seem that he knew about magic and Sparks.

Which meant danger to Stiles, which meant there was no way he was going to join the pack. There were some complications with it. Tyr smelled like he had been living on the streets, unwashed scent clinging to his clothes and hair. An omega most likely, a stray one, and that explained the unhinged vibe he got from the other. Nobody stayed sane for years without a pack, he knew that from experience. His green eyes glanced to Stiles briefly, should he attempt to lie or tell the truth? Maybe the omega would choose to move on if he heard there were no others, or he'd think them weak and try to get the alpha spark. Not that he was going to succeed but Derek really didn't want a fight right now, he was running on empty.  
  
"They're out," Derek settled on, not lying, since Beth and Noah were just as much their pack, but he didn't tell how many were there. "What do you mean by you know what that meant?"

As the question was asked, Tyr's eyes flicked to Stiles deliberately. He knew. This bold one knew exactly what Stiles really was. So much for hoping others weren't going to come looking yet. It didn't take long at all.  
  
This wasn't a conversation to have out on the streets, yet the alpha wasn't so eager to have Tyr inside the house either. But the loft was filled with workers so that wasn't the right place for it either.

"Oh come on, Derek..." Stiles sighed feeling all the bristling hackles and distrust and something that bordered on hostility towards the wolf. Who, despite the fact that he clearly didn't know what boundaries meant, came off like a decent guy. Even with the slightly unhinged vibes and restless energy. In that Stiles kinda recognized himself a bit. Plus it was clear that Tyr has been on the road for quite a while.  
  
Of course, the fact that the wolf knew what the circle in the woods meant put a little uneasiness and carefulness into Stiles too, but he kept a diplomatic, friendlier approach. Or the good cop role, if you like.  
  
"Let's take this inside," he said, knowing that they were too exposed for a full-blown werewolf business kind of conversation out on the street like that. He understood Derek's unwillingness to invite the stranger into their home, but they had to go somewhere. Plus Stiles was pretty sure even alone he could incapacitate Tyr with his magic. "Forgive Derek, his social skills are still a work in progress plus we recently went through a lot. And you cannot blame us if we are careful around an unknown wolf like you. Especially someone so bold and direct. Aaanyways, he's Derek and I'm Stiles. This is my dad's house, who's the Sheriff here, by the way, so I advise you behave yourself while inside. We have a lot to talk about even before agreeing to consider you as a candidate to our pack," he took the lead and nodded for Tyr to follow him inside. As he started walking towards the door, he stroked Derek's lower-arm in a calming manner.  
  
He knew the beta would follow so he didn't look back just walked ahead. The threshold was a test in itself too, because the wards Stiles used on the door frame wouldn't let anyone in with an ill intent. On his way to the kitchen, he only looked back then to see if Tyr can sense and pass the magic barrier.

Tyr realized that the alpha wasn't into talking, or hugging, or smiling. The rest of the pack was out, whatever that meant, didn't even bother to tell who else was there. Hopefully many, because that would be awesome! Not that he was very picky, any pack would be great because it had been too long and he was looking forward to the closeness of pack. Not sure if he was going to get that here, though. Tyr had no social skills, no human ones anyways and yet more than the alpha who was a grump. Maybe he was because of going through a lot, it would explain so much. Still, fucking sad.  
  
"Why do I need to behave because of a sheriff?" the long-haired wolf asked as he nervously glanced to Derek who made no move to lead on, but seemed determined to stay behind him, like that was something he liked. Easier to attack him! Darting inside to follow after the human who was nice and explaining and friendly, he didn't glance back once. "I follow alpha rules." Not human rules. Tyr didn't care about human rules because hunters didn't care either. Fuck rules, human’s bullets wouldn't kill him. Not that he wanted to land in prison, that didn't seem like something he'd enjoy with being stuck inside all the time.  
  
He glanced around the house, taking it in but it made sense it belonged to an older male because it didn't breathe much personality. There were kid's toys in a corner, awesome! He loved kids, their pureness and eagerness to say whatever was on their mind, kind of like him. "So you must be like a really strong druid, lots of power. You smell like it."

The Hale followed after, ignoring the nervous looks thrown his way, because good, let the omega be afraid. He had approached a couple at their home to appeal to get a place in the pack, but nothing about him said he was ready to have a place in this particular pack. He was a wild one, too open and restless, even more wolf than Derek, though more behaving like a puppy. Maybe ADHD was still an affliction happening even to wolves? He behaved like Stiles and his heartbeat was rapid too.

"Alphas and betas follow the rules of society and law to avoid being arrested. Mostly."  
  
It was a sore topic, one hard to explain because the world of the supernatural didn't align with the human laws and wasn't the same but they'd be judged by the latter if they were caught. Something this wolf didn’t seem to understand so it was possible he had been raised sheltered or worse: Tyr was like Malia, mostly feral. And that meant they couldn't turn him away.  
  
Derek sighed, he had said he wanted to have the unwanted in his pack but this was way too soon, they weren't prepared for it.

For a moment Stiles was pleased by the fact that Tyr passed the wards without a problem. He led them to the kitchen and waved towards a chair by the table. He so wanted to say 'sit' to the over-eager omega, but bit his tongue in order to behave and store the dog joke for later. Derek would surely appreciate it...  
  
"What he said," Stiles agreed with Derek as he went to the kitchen counter. "We live among humans, we abide to their law. I'm also a detective, so I have to do that even more," he explained to their guest as he took out glasses and a jug of lemonade from the fridge which he had made the day before. Putting them all down on the table, he poured for all of them then sat down opposite Tyr and next to Derek.  
  
Stiles exchanged a look with Derek to see if it was okay for him to keep leading the conversation. It seemed it was, though no wonder, it was more like emissary territory now. He took a sip from his lemonade then smacked his bow-shaped lips together, putting the glass down on the table while watching the wolf, lost in his thoughts for a moment. Clearly, he was pondering on where to take said conversation.  
  
"I don't know how strong I might come off to you as a druid, but yes, we are strong. As you could see in the forest too," he started, obviously meaning the impact his loss of control had made on the land. "How did you know what that circle was? Did you meet other druids before? Tell us about your life a bit. And please, don't try to lie, we both will sense it and lying is a big no-no around us," Stiles said, even giving the wolf a small encouraging smile. It was the most reasonable thing to do, in his opinion. Trying to get to know someone a bit who wanted to become a member of their pack, their family. "Trust must be earned. Especially after all the shit we had to live through during the years. I think you might understand that and our carefulness."

Not really. Tyr didn't understand why they were so careful when they could sense when he was lying and when they could sense ill intent. So he didn't get that his trust had to be earned. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Maybe if he was proven guilty he wouldn't be sitting here, he'd be dead. The alpha looked like he would gladly reach over and tear his throat out. Those dark bushy eyebrows were crawling close towards his eyes as his frown deepened. So instead Tyr focused on the bright brown eyes of the Spark, whose voice sounded bright and not as accusing. Stiles tried to be open-minded to having a new guy around.  
  
"I'm from Norway. I don't remember much from my pack, because I was sooo fucking young when we left but druids were part of it, you know? Like, throw a stone and find a druid there kind of thing. I left when I was... fuck if I know, young, because I don't remember the language but I remember the druids and the way they smelled. The magic they had." Long fingers toyed with the lemonade glass but Tyr didn't take a sip, he wasn't supposed to before the alpha had taken a sip of his even though he was really parched. So he kept glancing at Derek to see if he had touched his drink yet.  
  
Sadly, nope! So he licked his dry lips and continued. "Everybody was dead and I was with a wolf pack and that's all I really know. Kind of?" How to explain that the past had no meaning to him, that he had forgotten a lot because it wasn't important to remember? "I know how to be a wolf and then I lived with a human but I missed pack so here I am!"

Derek didn't agree that Tyr was telling a lot about himself. If anything, he told the most minimal he could tell about himself, giving out the global story without details. Maybe enough for Stiles to research if the omega wasn't' going to be forthcoming with more, if it was real about not remembering much. Adding kind of to it made whatever he said capable of a lie and that was a smooth practiced way of talking to avoid lies. And Derek knew that there was intelligence behind that innocent face staring at them from across the table. His interest was awakened. Enough to start paying very close attention.  
  
Sipping from the lemonade, the Hale tried to not make a face. _Wow Stiles, how much sugar was in there?_ Probably the batch Beth loved. She had a terrible sweet tooth and though she had the Hale genes, he blamed the Stilinskis for that. "You were with a werewolf pack or a wolf pack?"  
  
"Wolf pack," Tyr confirmed so Derek had been right, they had another Malia on their hands, which had been easier with her because she had been younger. This one wasn't a teenager so it was going to be harder to rehabilitate him into the 'normal' world. At least Stiles had experience with it, because he had been the one to closely guide Derek's cousin and Malia wasn't doing so badly anymore these days. Besides snagging a deer every now and then and screen-shotting it to send it to Derek.

Stiles leaned back in his chair and drummed his long fingers on the edge of the table once Tyr stopped talking and was finally "allowed" to drink from the lemonade. The emissary knew how pack hierarchy worked and if Derek didn't drink for long, he would've kicked his ankle under the table to do it so the clearly thirsty wolf boy could drink too. Stiles also saw through the innocent dumb facade. There was too much intelligence glistening in the nearly too big blue eyes. Sure, this little monologue at least gave some general picture about the wolf and his past, but he would've liked some more details, to be honest.  
  
And then he understood the connection between the man and the lack of detail in his story. The emissary's eyes widened a bit from the surprising information. "So he's like Malia was," he glimpsed at Derek for a second. To Tyr's confused look, Stiles gave him a short explanation. "In the old pack I... I guess we... used to belong, there was a werecoyote who had lived in her animal form in the woods for years. We helped her reintegrate into civilization enough that she only comes off odd time after time with her reactions and comments."  
  
"So... with that out of the way... There's something else too that I'd like to ask you about. You said you kinda knew druids, even if you were very small then. It means you were born and raised around magic for a while. How are you with magic in general? And how does this land feel to you?" he asked, deliberately leaving out the Nemeton, because the fewer knew about it, the better. But if Tyr was sensitive to magic, he might have been drawn in not just because of the black circle in the woods, but also the magical beacon their fucked up town had.

Tyr inhaled the glass of lemonade in one go, not caring how rude it looked because he was finally allowed to drink and he was just _so_ thirsty. Licking his lips to catch the last few drops of sugar and lemon, he listened to the 'Malia' explanation and nodded because that sounded like him. He didn't know how long he had been wolf, didn't have all the facts and never cared enough to look into it. But they knew somebody like him so maybe they could teach him not to be so odd. Though he was pretty sure that might be a lost cause in his case. He was fucking odd and that was fucking fine.  
  
"The land's fine? I was hoping for some more sun because I like heat but it's fine," Tyr shrugged, not sure what he was supposed to answer since they knew this place better than he did. He had mostly roamed the woods to look for the Spark and the alpha. "You smell awesome though, and it tickles being around you." The alpha's eyes narrowed and the omega hastened to explain it. "Like drinking cola and letting it fizz in your mouth before you swallow."

"You're cold because you're used to having a thick coat of fur, so be sure to dress warm. Your body might not even learn to heat itself like mine does anymore," Derek explained. It took years for Malia to be okay with the California winters and there was a reason why she had decided to move to a warmer state. Meanwhile Derek was rarely cold, only wearing actual winter coats when there was snow. And even then it had to be a thick layer for him to forego the leather jacket.  
  
At the explanation of the magic, Derek glanced to Stiles. It didn't feel like that for him, but maybe it was because he was so used to it by now. Or because he had it inside as well and it felt different. He could smell it whenever Stiles would bring the magic to the close surface but this werewolf seemed to be more attuned to it, and that could happen. Derek could see auras and hidden things others couldn't see, this one felt magic.  
  
Still, he didn't like it, didn't like other wolves sniffing around his mate like that because he couldn't trust this one meant no harm, not yet. It needed time, this man was a stranger and with that, automatically a threat.

So there was a possibility that the omega didn't know about the Nemeton yet. Which was probably good. Stiles wasn't sure about that. He and Derek would have to talk about this extensively before they made any decisions. And he could feel that his mate was leaning toward being careful. He shared that sentiment if not the stronger distrust and seeing Tyr as a threat. Sure, Stiles wasn't easy to trust others either, but he had learned to listen to his instincts and magic, and both made him feel okay around this eccentric wolf.  
  
The druid couldn't hide an amused smirk though when Tyr said how it felt to be around him. "So you sense magic alright. To be honest, it's new to me how others feel me and my magic because it wasn't that long that I came to my powers. And they are still growing for reasons," he said, suspecting that Derek was probably not going to be happy about sharing stuff like this with a stranger, but Stiles thought that they had to start building that trust somewhere if they are going to ever consider Tyr joining their pack.  
  
Thinking a few years back when he used to be with Malia, Stiles poured another glass of lemonade for the wolf just to do something with his usually restless hands. "Can you shift back to your full wolf form at will?" He remembered that once Malia was forced by Scott to shift to human, it took some time for her to learn how to shift back.

"Fuck if I know, dude. You're the first magic person I met since I was little. But you're probably screwed then. If somebody like me senses your magic, others will too," Tyr remarked and gladly took the glass back now that it was refilled, hoping there was going to be some food in this meeting too. It was drained just as quickly because it was that good so he licked the glass to catch every last drop.  
  
He eyed the mostly untouched glass of the alpha, beaming at the dark male when he slid his glass over as well with an eye-roll. "Thanks!" This one was at least treasured more, with careful sips, having a belly full of water when it was empty always made him cramp but sugar was energy too. Eat enough sugar and it was like getting a shot of caffeine. "I can't turn back to wolf anymore, I've tried. I figured fate had other plans for me, right?" he shrugged. "Doesn't matter, what's done is done." He thought about it before, why he couldn't. "Maybe because my pelt is fucking white, and it attracted a fuckload of hunters to the pack. Fucking assholes, I swear. Always killing what's different."

White wolf, familiar with magic, from Norway. It had to mean something, and no, Derek didn't believe in fate but he did believe in the fact that there were no coincidences. Unfortunately it didn't bode well for Tyr as 'innocent' as it appeared. There was something off about this all. They were going to have to let Stiles' detective skills do some searching.  
  
The omega was starving, the slightly concealed looks around the kitchen as well as the rumbles coming from the empty stomach said as much. So they were going to have to feed him, and see where to put him because there were no apartments ready yet at the loft. They had to offer him a place to sleep at least, because they couldn't send him out on the streets again, especially not Beacon Hills. There were no others living on the streets and he'd be chased off fast. And he was lucky he had lived for so long without getting killed with his behavior.  
  
"What's your last name?" It would make the search easier if they had a last name. They would be able to search while Tyr would take a much needed shower. And they could order some food.

"Ragnarsson," Tyr said in-between two sips from the lemonade.  
  
Stiles glimpsed at Derek to see if the name said anything to him, but for a change, he couldn't read the poker face his mate had put on. He could only tell that he was probably wracking his brain for possible connections he might know about.  
  
With a sigh Stiles ignored the comment about others being able to sense his magic too, because yeah, they probably will for a while until he learns how to more or less fully hide it. For now he rather focused on the present, storing that name for later to research. It was likely while Derek asked the omega for it anyway.  
  
"Okay, how about we all digest things a bit while I get you some clean clothes and you take a much needed shower..." Stiles wrinkled his nose while smiling at the wolf. He wasn't smelling that bad, but he could use a wash down for sure. "While your own clothes are going to be washed, I'll order some food. Chinese sound good? Or pizza?" he asked as he stood up as a sign for Tyr to follow suite. Stiles could feel Derek's approval so he didn't even have to look at the alpha.

Hot shower, clean clothes and food? Fuck yeah! Count him in, he was sold. "Food sounds great, any food, all food." Did he mention he would really love some food because yeah! Pizza or Chinese or Italian, even old bread would be great as long as it was covered with peanut butter and jelly. And butter, because butter would make everything better.  
  
Tyr glanced at Derek to make sure it was okay and when the man nodded, he followed after Stiles, not taking offence to their suggestion he needed a shower, too happy with the chance to get one. The human led him upstairs. The house wasn't all that big and it smelled of the two and two others. No more. A small pack then. That was fine, he could get a job in town to house himself, he was independent enough to handle whatever life threw his way.  
  
"So how long have you two been together?"

Stiles lightly chuckled on Tyr's enthusiasm as he led him upstairs. He reminded Stiles of himself quite a bit and seeing that from outside amused him to no end. Now he was kinda getting a taste of what others have to endure around him. Okay, well, more like around his older self. Tyr was more like that with an even blunter attitude.  
  
"Well... that's a complicated question to answer. Frankly, most things are complicated around the two of us," Stiles shrugged while climbing the stairs. "We've known each other since I was around sixteen and my best bud was bitten by a werewolf. We discovered the lurking supernatural world because of that and Derek was around to keep our asses safe for some reason, but he'd never admit that to anyone but me," he grinned at Tyr and opened the upstairs bathroom's door, putting a fresh towel on the rack for the beta while he never paused talking. "Then our lives took a different turn. He was on the run for a while, while I focused on my studies to become a detective in the end. I lived in Frisco until recently, but oh god... in a few days it's gonna be four months already!" he exclaimed. "I have to take him on a date night at least!"  
  
The emissary was pointing out things for Tyr where to find what and motioned for him to undress as he started loading the washing machine with some of their used clothes too. "So yeah, roughly four months but it feels so much longer. Like a lifetime, actually. As if we've always been together," he added with a dreamy look and fond smile on his mole-dotted face.

Tyr nodded even though he didn't understand it fully, the two had a long history together but weren't always together? They acted as if they had been mates for a very long time and not the four months Stiles was talking about so that was curious. For them to be so tight in a short amount of time was impressive but he didn't ask since if it was complicated it meant a long story. Instead he undressed quickly so the clothes could be washed, revealing a heavily tattooed body but what was the weirdest about his body were the scars. Badly healed wounds which shouldn't be on a werewolf's body but were.  
  
"You look completely crazy about each other with him so you better do something really fucking romantic for your four months anniversary. Celebrate everything, because love should be cherished, dude!" The clothes were handed over, they were worn and had holes in them but that was normal for Tyr, he had a tendency to wear old clothes with holes. New clothes felt rough and weird on his skin, old clothes were worn in and soft.  
  
The shower was turned on even though he hadn't stepped in it yet, giving Stiles a big fat wink. "So Alpha McGrump can't hear anything about what you're planning."

"You're cleverer than what you led others to think. We both noticed that, for your information," Stiles grinned, not fazed by the tattoo-marked naked body in front of him. Before he was mated to Derek, he probably would've been affected by it, but now he only saw Derek in that way. It was a mate thing which only got confirmed to the druid while facing the naked Tyr. Those scars though...  
  
"As far as I know, wolves only scar with difficulty. Anything to add about yours? I mean... I'm not the statue of subtlety and I'm legendary for my inappropriate curiosity. So just tell me to fuck off if you don't want to talk about them..." he chuckled shortly, loading the worn clothes into the washing machine too and set the program to start it.  
  
This werewolf had more mysteries around him than at first glance and Stiles was eager to get to the bottom of what made up Tyr Ragnarsson. That name in itself rang some distant bells. He remembered of a famous Viking conqueror with the name of Ragnar. Was it possible that Tyr was the descendant of that intriguing historical character?

There was only a shrug when Tyr was told he was cleverer than he made others think. He couldn't help it if they were not willing to look past the initial meeting and take everything at face's value. Basically he only used society's stupid idea that attractive people were as dumb as they looked and weren't interested in having their opinions altered. He only used that to his advantage. "Dumb people get things done easier." He was less like a threat that way and it wasn't like he was fully pretending, he was being himself, just downplayed a few things.  
  
Stepping under the warm shower, he moaned obscenely, closing his eyes as the water rushed over him, fuck! That felt _so good_. There was no asking, he scented the bottles he found there to check which one he liked best before the wolf poured it into his hands to wash away the grime and smell of old sweat and dirt.  
  
"There are ways to scar a werewolf. I was fucking unlucky to be part of those ways. Scars of a warrior, right?" His hand lathered up the soap and washed it off before the sniffing continued to find a shampoo he liked. Whoever was washing their hair with strawberry should be shot, that was nasty stuff, fucking nasty. Tyr made a face and settled for the one smelling of honey, his hair deserved some nice treatment, his scalp was itching for a cleaning.

"True that about playing dumb," Stiles agreed while the omega got under the shower and tried the smell of shampoos and shower gels. "Be careful with the strawberry and glittery ones. Those are for our daughter," he 'warned' him half-hearted, some laughter in his voice. Though he didn't doubt Tyr would look fabulous with some glitter in his hair and on his skin.  
  
"So... even if your reply didn't give much to go on, I assume you had some rough fights. From your previous words, hunters too. Those are nasty people, although there are some very few who can be trusted as allies. We have a couple of those here in Beacon Hills. We've been through a lot together," he provided as an explanation. "You should know that this town is fucked up for many reasons. One which might have drawn you in too. How much do you know about Nemetons?" Stiles decided to reveal one of the main causes why it was risky to settle in this town when you were a supernatural creature – or a plain human, for that matter, getting in the crossfire.

Their daughter, so that explained the toys and such. His eyes widened, because it was so cute of them to adopt a little girl like they were a normal couple and not the power couple of Beacon Hills. That thought made him grin. The town didn't seem that big so it wasn't that hard to be a power couple, right? Tyr grinned even wider when Stiles remained talking to him while showering though he wasn't sure if it was to keep an eye on him instead of letting him shower in peace or the Spark figured this was a perfect moment to drill the omega about things while his guard was down. Either way, he didn't care all that much and he happily went along with it.  
  
"Magical trees used by druids to perform their rituals. I come from the land of the druids, there's one in Norway." Another shrug. He wasn't that scared off by it. It wasn't like he was fucking magical or anything so it wasn't exactly something which influenced him, probably. But it wasn't as if he remembered much about what it did so he shouldn't be dismissing it like that either. "Guess that's why you're such a badass Spark, right? Druids dig magical trees." Druids and magic attracted supers, so that was why there were hunters around too, that was the way it all balanced shit out. "Supes dig the magic, hunters dig the supes. It's this fucked up circle of life."  
  
Tyr rubbed the shampoo into the long locks before washing it out, trying to find conditioner but apparently that wasn't used here? Short hairs didn't need it as much but his mane sure did.

As if reading in Tyr's mind (perhaps he was in the sense of catching what he might need), Stiles silently moved around and handed a bottle of hair-conditioner (not strawberry scented for a change) to the man then stepped back to the sink to re-organize some bottles just to do something with his hands.

AWESOME, there was conditioner and he didn't even have to ask for it. Maybe Stiles knew how important hair care was. Maybe he had some curls hiding in there and would end up with a frizzy afro. "Fuck yeah! Thanks dude!" The conditioner was eagerly received and used to lather up the mane and let it soak in for a moment while Stiles talked. He liked talking, and so did Tyr so that was welcome.  
  
"That's a pretty wise insight on how supes and hunters are. I've never thought about it this way, but I guess you're right." It was definitely about balance now that Stiles gave it another thought. If one faction gets too strong, the other makes sure to balance it out. Well... unless the overpowered faction didn't get too weak and small in numbers, that is. In that case only the dominant faction would rule over the given territory. Stiles wondered for a moment how many times that might have happened in Beacon Hills during history. When just wolves or just hunters might have roamed the land.  
  
"Yes, I know about the Nemeton in Norway from books I've read. I don't know though how strong that one is. Ours is rumored to be one of the strongest in North-America now that it is active again. So no wonder we have to deal with so many supes flocking in time after time. Not all of those are as easygoing like you. We had a lot of fights in the past and cannot expect anything better for the future either. Derek and I... we kinda work now as protectors of Beacon Hills and the tree. I don't know if I'm a badass Spark or not, but I'm definitely connected to that tree and the land already," Stiles shrugged. "But I should let you enjoy your shower, right?" he realized he was stalling, although he had managed to gather some important information. He also had to talk to Derek while their guest was preoccupied in the shower.  
  
"I'll leave you some clean clothes of mine, but take your time. We'll see you downstairs," he said, making a quick retreat, his head still full of questions and thoughts, but he had food to order too.

"I'll be downstairs later. It’s been so long since I could jack off in a hot shower." The omega called out while the human was already making a retreat to let him have a shower in peace. As peaceful as Tyr was with his showers. He burst out in a song while waiting for the conditioner to be ready to rinse out and then there was some other bodily function to take care off. It was a healthy thing to do without it leaving scents behind if he cleaned it well.

Derek hadn't been happy with Stiles staying to talk with the young wolf, especially when a shower started and it drowned out all the talking, making him concentrate too hard and he couldn't after this morning. He had thrown a dirty glare to the ceiling while he ordered food, going with Chinese since that would get them way more food than a few pizzas. Enough for Beth to have for dinner along with the Sheriff, as well as feed a starving werewolf, a Stiles and Derek who was slightly addicted to egg rolls. After putting the considerable order in at the only Chinese open this early in the afternoon, he had searched for Stiles' laptop bag.  
  
The alpha had set it up so Stiles only needed to sit down behind it to start his searches. It wasn't that the Hale didn't know how to, but he knew Stiles had this system in his head, this intricate thought process to link everything and he didn't want to influence it. That done, he set the table, got some coffee going because he really needed a few cups, and rolled his eyes when there was loud singing coming from upstairs. The omega had a nice voice at least but he was incredibly loud and present, even when he wasn't physically present at all.  
  
By the time Stiles bounced downstairs, there was steaming coffee in mugs, the laptop all booted up and Derek settled in a chair, browsing his phone. He had sent a message to Chris about the beta and that Derek had it covered, because the hunter knew too much too soon.

From the hurrying downstairs and the excitement brought by having a possible new pack member on whom he'd have to do some background check, Stiles' cheeks were flushed as he entered the kitchen.  
  
"Seriously... you're the best mate!" he exclaimed with the usual restless energy buzzing under his skin as he saw his laptop and a mug of steaming coffee right next to it. He knew Derek made it the way his mate loved it. Lots of sugar and a splash of milk. Stiles walked over to the table and wrapped his arms around the sitting Derek from behind, hands slightly caressing the broad chest while he nuzzled the warm neck, kissing into it. Of course, it was his own not that subtle way of scenting his mate and refreshing the alpha's scent on him to please Derek. Because Stiles instinctively knew that having Tyr's scent all over him was probably displeasing for his mate – who was also an alpha with possessive tendencies, which he hid quite well, but Stiles knew about them nonetheless.  
  
"He's going to enjoy the shower for a while then jerk off in it, so we have some time, I think. I left him some of my clothes to wear while I wash and dry his own," Stiles continued as he let Derek go and sat down next to him, logging into his laptop before practically inhaling his coffee in two huge gulps despite the fact that it was nearly on the hot side. "He might downplay it, but I saw some ugly scars on him and it's clear that he's been through a lot. He might need some time to open up more about it. But I could get a pretty good read on him, I think. He doesn't seem to have a hidden agenda, just wants to belong to a pack. He's also funny and said some things that makes it even more obvious that he's cleverer than he shows. Also, I think he doesn't care much about his past. He's the living in the moment kind of guy, as far as I can tell," he said in a fast pace, catching Derek up. "What do you think about him?" he asked as he started his usual research routine with first the omega's full name.

Derek wasn't happy with Stiles spending time with a naked omega, but it was a ridiculous notion born out of these prime instincts which made no sense at all because he trusted his mate. There was no way Stiles would ever be tempted to cheat on Derek, he'd end their relationship first. Stiles wasn't a cheater and had eyes only for him. He knew all that and yet when the human scented him not so subtly, he was instantly more at ease. Sometimes being werewolf had its disadvantages, no matter how much control there was over what he was. That was also partly due to his previous partner. Their toxic relationship had left its scars and cheating was a very sensitive topic.  
  
There was an arched eyebrow when Stiles had to inform him about Tyr jerking off in their shower before shrugging. Some needs had to be met and the streets weren’t that safe a place to take care of such needs. It was whatever, it gave them time. "He's been wolf for too long, you live in the now, take it day to day. I don't know what to think of him yet, he's got a lot to learn. Malia's personality took a while to shine through because of her feral behavior and awkwardness." They had no idea how long the other wolf had been in his wolf form, and from what age. All that information would be able to tell them what they were dealing with.  
  
"I don't want to reach out to Norwegian packs yet. I'm hoping you can find out some details because his family might have been on the run from something. Sleeping dogs and all." He didn't want to rattle anything and put Tyr in harm's way by asking around. "It would explain the scars. You know all the things I've been through and there's no mark on me. To leave permanent marks on a werewolf..." He hadn't even known it was a possibility. And he really didn't want to find out firsthand how those scars were created.

"Yeah... it must have been really bad if he has these scars. He was elusive about his answers, but I put that down to opening up slowly. I understand that we have to know as much about him as possible if we might consider him as a candidate to our pack, but I also lean towards giving him some privacy, not to be too intrusive as if during an interrogation," Stiles murmured while his long fingers were flying fast over the keyboard. "Those years spent with the wolf pack also make it understandable why he is the taking it one day at a time type. Okay... so I searched his name..." Stiles paused as his whiskey-colored eyes quickly ran through the lines of the articles he had found.  
  
"As I suspected, there is no direct mention of his full name, but there are articles about that famous Viking king and conqueror, Ragnar Lodbrok. I had heard and read about him in history class and Deaton's books too while studying Norse mythology. Of course there were legends about some of Ragnar's descendants becoming berserkers and werewolves. That appeared in those books too, I can remember. So we might assume that Tyr is the descendant of that bloodline... Hm... interesting..." Stiles paused, opening a few more windows and altering the keywords in his search.  
  
"He said he was around five when his parents migrated to the States, right?" he asked absentmindedly. "There's an interesting article from a local newspaper. Google translate isn't half as bad as a few years ago. It managed to translate it enough for a read. It is about a massacre in Trondheim with mysterious circumstances the human police couldn't really figure out. Like big claw-marks all around the place and on the corpses. Of course they blamed it on some feral bears or wolves. There were quite a few bodies there. So... this might have been a pack war of some sort?" he glimpsed up at Derek. "Maybe Tyr's parents were trying to flee that to keep him and each other safe in the States."

Derek wasn't that interested in the lineage of Tyr to a famous Viking king, it mattered about his connections right now and not what blood he had in his veins. Sure, Derek was proud of what his ancestors had accomplished. They had founded Beacon Hills, the Hales made this town but that didn't mean much to him as a person, it didn't create his personality, only his bank account. But to somebody like Stiles, who was now a druid and Spark, it was something to dig into. He loved that kind of stuff, especially Vikings. But at least he let that be for now and focused on what Derek was more interested in, the story of coming to the USA and the why.  
  
"Tyr didn't give us ages, he's too caught in the now to bother with numbers." Counting, tracking the passing of time would mean the now had a yesterday and a tomorrow. Derek fortunately had never been the wolf for so long that he forgot how it all worked but after Malia, they had an idea of what kind of impact it could have on somebody to be stuck for that long. And that trauma usually made them stuck, so something had to have happened to be scared into transforming and not be able to go back.  
  
Taking his coffee, Derek read over Stiles' shoulder. "It would explain why they left their roots behind. They were on the run from something. Try to see if there's anything about what happened to his family. Something scared him into being a wolf, like with Malia." And then they'd know how long he had been stuck with a wolf pack. Tyr wasn't going to be able to tell them any of that, no matter if they gave him time or pressured him into talking. "Whatever his parents fled from, it's better not to attract that trouble to here."

"Yeah, figuring out the timeline is tricky with so little information," Stiles agreed as he typed away on his laptop again, his mind running a mile a minute as he was trying to find connections that would lead them to the truth. "More trouble is definitely something we don't need since our plate is already more than full," Stiles nodded, glad that the sounds from the shower were still on although the singing stopped so Tyr was probably already doing the second part of his plan which involved more moaning than singing. Not that the druid could hear any moaning, even with his slightly enhanced hearing.  
  
"Okay... here we go..." Stiles clicked on a promising link. "There's a family with the name of Ragnarsson. They are immigrants, alright, and there's even an address," Stiles slid to the edge of his chair, clearly getting excited from the new bits of information they were digging up. Even his mate's close proximity couldn't distract him right now. "There's also a local newspaper site with an article saying that the wife and their unborn baby have... died at the local hospital due to complications during childbirth?" Stiles' brows pulled together and he craned his neck to be able to look at Derek behind him. "Is that even possible for werewolves? I mean... I've read that female werewolves are especially strong when it comes to giving birth to their babies. So this... doesn't make much sense. It smells like a cover up story... Which means they were somehow probably killed, right?" he hummed, thinking it through then he turned back towards the screen. "Which also means that what they were running from had most likely found them with the intent of wiping out the remaining Ragnarssons. Which is bad news. Give me a few minutes to dig deeper to see if there's anything more about them from later..." he said and continued with his research.  
  
In a few minutes Stiles sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his chair and absently reaching back to put a hand on Derek's leg for physical contact. "No further info on Tyr and his dad. They had gotten off the grid probably after the hospital incident."

"And looking at the date of the articles, he was around six or seven years old when something happened to him and his father to turn him into a wolf. There's no way a father would live out in the wilds with his son for so long without leaving some sort of paper trail in the USA. Something had happened in the wilderness where he found the wolf pack."  
  
Derek frowned because all these new revelations didn't even begin to answer anything. They only made for more questions. The mother died in a cover up, the father disappeared in the wild, so they had been hunted down by something for sure. And most likely considered lost when the last of the Ragnarssons vanished. Which meant that if Tyr was making waves, whoever had been after his family and pack was going to be after him. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Derek knew that the guy showering upstairs was only the announcement of trouble. And they couldn't turn him away without finding him a better place to stay.  
  
Emptying the mug, he sighed. "We're not big enough to handle more trouble. Accepting him as beta would make me stronger, sure, but I'm not mentally there yet, we've seen what a mentally unstable alpha can create." Derek knew he wouldn't be like Peter, he was different but he wasn't too proud to admit that right now, he wasn't the strong alpha Tyr was going to need. He was still going to therapy, he had bad days, was exhausted after intense sessions. And he wasn't going to endanger his family in his need to build a pack.

Locking the screen, Stiles turned around on his chair to be able to look up at Derek. He could feel how troubled his mate was about this situation. It was plain to see for him that Derek was kinda torn between sending Tyr on his way and helping him in some way. The druid reached out to take Derek's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. It was true that they were still dealing with the aftermath of Hell and weren't ready for expanding their pack, but as life had proven before, things didn't work according to their wishes. Most of the time, at least.  
  
"You'll never be like Peter," Stiles hurried to reassure his pair about that. "I'd never let that happen anyway. You'll be a great alpha because now you have me as your mate and emissary. I'm here to help you. Don't forget that," he softly smiled up at the wolf. "But this situation will have to be solved rather sooner than later. We have a beta on our hands now. So... what do you think we should do? If I remember correctly, there's usually a waiting period before a new pack member is fully accepted into a pack. To see if they're compatible, a fitting match. Because obviously that immediate feeling I had read about that says 'yes, you belong with us' wasn't there for you. If that was the case, you'd have been more... open and would've taken a liking to Tyr nearly immediately, right? I mean... I'm asking because I only read about such things in Deaton's books. You're a born wolf who knows these things better."

"I didn't pick my betas at random. I had watched them, learned about them before I approached them. I don't know Tyr enough yet to make a decision. He doesn't give me Jackson vibes of no, and we can't send him back out on the streets." The standing up and pacing alpha didn't know what to think about Tyr, and he was sure that they weren't ready for more trouble but it wasn't like they knew where to send the beta otherwise. So he was confused about it all, and as much as he wanted to pretend like this wasn't the situation, it was. This was what happened and they had to deal with it. There was one thing about this entire thing that made it easier though.  
  
"He wants a pack and he doesn't seem to be too picky about what pack so maybe we let him wait for a while, to get to know him." Maybe the other decided to leave since they were too boring. The Hale had peeked at the birthdate and he was around Derek's age, a few years younger, technically. Sure he had done some growing up, some maturing over the years since meeting Stiles. He wasn't that teen stuck in an adult body anymore, not fully. And birth dates didn't work the same as it did with humans but they had a global idea of how old Tyr was and he wasn't old at all. "We've got the room at the loft, he can help move." He could be an asset if they'd let him, if they wanted him to be one.  
  
Tyr was exactly the kind of wolf Derek wanted to open up his pack for: young and lost, needing a home after all he had gone through. A weird social outcast never fitting in. It was just too soon now, they weren't ready for it. Derek was supposed to be worrying about the loft and proposing to Stiles and not a beta on the run from danger.

"Ugh," he growled since he knew what the right thing was and Stiles knew it too.

As much as both of them knew what would be the right thing to do, Stiles also understood the need for giving this some time. And to reassure his mate that he was okay with that. So he stood up and slid a hand around Derek's waist, body lightly pressing against the other man in a grounding manner.  
  
"We'll give this some time then. See how things work out while we put a roof above his head and a chance for Tyr to prove himself that he belongs with us. If that's what he wants before the final decision," Stiles reached up with his free hand to caress Derek's cheek then kissed him softly just when the water was turned off upstairs.  
  



	4. 14: Renewal - Part 4

**14: Renewal – Part 4**

As much as they were a pair and Stiles was there to give advice and guide Derek, he was still the alpha of their small pack. The last word was technically Derek's. Especially since he was the wolf, not Stiles. His mate would know better if another wolf was a good fit to the pack or not.  
  
"Let's give him a chance to prove himself," he said barely above a whisper onto Derek's lips. "We'll deal with the rest and the possible problems later..."

"Awww, you two are fucking adorable. Why aren't you married yet?" The Norse wolf didn't even bat his eyelashes twice at them, not giving any indication on what he had heard because it wasn't his fucking business to hear the alpha talk with the mate. "I mean, I didn't see rings but I could be wrong because there's a kiddo running around. Did you two have a surrogate? Is she both your genes?"  
  
Tyr did take a whiff in the kid's room but she was living with them too long to understand her scent, and there was something off about it. The other one was male, which was probably this sheriff they kept mentioning because he stank like humans did. Not that Stiles was stinky, he was like magic so that was way different. Humans did have a particular smell to them, usually masked by aftershave, perfumes, shampoos and whatever else they could use. Tyr didn't use anything, probably why he was considered to be requiring a shower, no deodorant to mask the smell of sweat.  
  
"Oh wait, was she born from magic? Did one of you birth her like in the movies? That would be so fucking out there! You should totally do that if you haven't yet."

Derek threw a disparaging look at his mate because he didn't want to deal with yet another one asking about the marriage. Was everybody on his case to propose? What happened to being allowed to do it in a romantic way once they have moved to the loft?

"No, she has a mother but she's not part of her life anymore."  
  
Touchy topic, though a lot of topics seemed to be sensitive these days and as Derek realized that, he sighed. It wasn't that he wanted to bite anybody's head off like this. Tyr came at a wrong moment and he was a lot to deal with when there was a spastic mate and a hyper toddler in his life already. The doorbell rang and he heaved a sigh of relief – saved by the bell. Glancing to the beta in Stiles' clothes which were a surprisingly well fit, Tyr looked younger, especially with the wet long hair.  
  
"I'll get it. It’s the Chinese food I ordered." Did he rush to the door? Only a little bit...

Stiles chuckled softly from Derek's hasty retreat then winked at Tyr before going to the kitchen cabinet to get some plates and forks out in case someone wasn't a fan of chopsticks – Stiles definitely had some difficulties with them at times. To the delight of many. Not that he cared, he thought those sticks were the invention of the Devil. Okay, maybe it was a good thing he didn't voice this thought aloud around Derek.  
  
"Don't mind him. He's tense about a lot of things going on in our lives currently. Elizabeth is his biological daughter with a former friend of ours, but she had decided to focus on her own life so she had left for good. Understandably that's a touchy topic around this house, so if you are going to stick around, please, don't bring it up in front of Derek, and especially not in front of Beth," Stiles paused, looking up at Tyr seriously for a moment.  
  
"Otherwise it's a running gag among us that he hadn't proposed to me yet. Even if he keeps telling me and my dad that we are already technically married in the werewolf-sense because of our mate bond," he shrugged with a grin, pouring another glass of lemonade to Tyr and himself, sensing that Derek found his too sweet so he got just some water. Picky alpha...

"I think he'll pop the question in the foreseeable future, though. Once things calm down a little. But I love to pull his leg about that. And I did the same with the kid question. I mean the possibility of getting each other pregnant, but he had told me it was sadly not possible in either way..." Stiles sighed over-dramatically. "Too bad, because I think I'd look hot with a round belly full of his kid or kids," the druid giggled, stroking his flat stomach for emphasis then put his laptop into safety on the kitchen counter.  
  
Right! Tyr realized that he had unknowingly broached all the topics he wasn't supposed to say, even though the wedding one was funny to him. Why not propose and get it over with? Fucking done! Everybody happy and no hassle. But what the hell did he even know about any of that? He had never had a serious relationship before. It was all about fucking for him. But he'd get that the missing mom was not something the little kiddo had to be burdened with – poor kid. What mom wanted to abandon her offspring to focus on her own life?

"The mom sounds like a fucking bitch," he settled on as he watched Stiles busy himself.  
  
There was a beam when the sweet lemonade made its appearance again, who even drinks water when there's lemonade?! He didn't sit down yet though, he wasn't sure if they had their usual spots at the table and the alpha was still at the door, paying for the food which smelled like heaven and made his stomach rumble loudly.

"Magic makes everything possible as long as you believe in it." Tyr wasn't even kidding with that. Magic was magical, it could do stuff that wasn't fucking possible. Maybe the alpha didn't want one of them with cub? Maybe he didn't want to believe but it wasn't like he had much of a fucking choice. If the Spark believed in it enough, it wouldn't need Derek's faith. Now that would be amusing!

It was that moment that Derek had made his return with two big bags of steaming Chinese food. From that sight Stiles' stomach did a loud grumble in anticipation too. "Just in time!" he grinned at his mate and took one of the bags while pecking his mate's lips. Then he hurried to the table to unload the paper boxes into the middle so everyone could pick from whatever looked good for them.

"You'd look good with a round belly full of food," Derek deadpanned as he brushed past Stiles, his fingers lingering on the flat stomach. He wouldn't mind some rounding happening there, something for his hand to settle on, all soft and inviting. Stiles wasn't one to gain weight easily though, because he was too active and didn't have the rest in him to not burn as much calories as he ate. But babies? Yeah, no. It was as bad as that omega trope people always went on about… that omegas were capable of breeding because they were like a third sex or something. Maybe in some werewolf packs that was a truth but for his bloodline it really wasn't a thing. Probably anyways? He had never been a bottom when omega but he was pretty sure if that was a thing, the bestiary would have mentioned it – and his mother when he had been young.  
  
This already had been discussed between them. Stiles was going to be the dad when they were ready for another child and they'd pay for a surrogate. Never again somebody they knew. Besides, if the magic was capable of anything, then Stiles might get pregnant with a unicorn if it was all about believing. Amused at that thought, Derek sat down so the beta would stop lingering restlessly at the table like a hovering cloud of energy. All the food did smell amazing, clearly, because two stomachs were rumbling and neither was his.  
  
"Eat, don't wait on me, I'm a slow eater." Compared to Stiles he was the turtle of eating with his careful chewing and taking his time to eat food. Which was just because Derek hadn't been able to enjoy food for a while with Beth making meals like an adventure which got messy fast. So yes, when there was a meal to be had where he could actually eat, he was taking his time.  
  
When Tyr hesitated, Derek rolled his eyes and put some egg rolls on his plate to show he was eating.

"I'd look good heavily pregnant with your pup too," Stiles rolled his eyes as he took a seat too and started loading his plate full with a bit of everything to be offered. Yeah, well, he had never strictly followed pack customs and hierarchies, especially not when it came to food, but he'd make an effort if Derek voiced being displeased with that or if there were more wolves than just Tyr. Who, by the way, was probably starting to get a hang of the fact that Derek and Stiles were equals in pretty much everything aside from the important wolf-business part of things.  
  
"Just saying. I'd surely drive you up the walls with my weird food choices in the middle of the night and all the hormonal mood shifts. It'd be fun to take videos of it for later to laugh on it. Damn, now I kinda crave having another kid..." he sighed but waved Derek off before he could say anything about it. "I know, I know, not the time yet. Still, it'd be cute. The C-section I wouldn't be looking forward to, though, with not being wolf and having to borrow probably a big chunk of your healing factor," he babbled on, half-realizing that he was dropping hints to Tyr to pick up on how they as mates worked. But Stiles didn't mind. The young wolf deserved some information about them if he wanted to make a big decision which would affect their lives greatly.  
  
"Cub. Pups are for dogs, wolves have cubs." Though there was a remark Derek was tempted to make about a bitch bred full of pups but that would be toeing the line he didn't want to cross. Not when Stiles was so fully into the fantasy now about actually having a baby like that and the Hale didn't want to correct him on the fact that males couldn't be pregnant for a reason. On the one hand, it would be nice to be part of a pregnancy instead of getting updates through the phone like it had been with Lydia but on the other hand, Stiles full of hormones? The world wasn't ready for that, Derek wasn't ready for that. No matter how good his mate would look all filled up with babies.  
  
The thought that Stiles wanted to was a nice one, though. Derek certainly wasn't eager to subject himself to that even though he'd be the better choice with his healing. Nope. He'd rather loan his healing to Stiles, and let him handle it but... Derek mostly preferred a surrogate still. Or adoption. Adoption was good too and not completely out of their limit since gays were able to adopt these days and Derek had enough income. The rap sheet might be an issue, though. And why was he even thinking about babies? He blamed that on Tyr and Stiles for bringing it up. He loved kids, and the smell of babies was like doing yoga. The wolf shifted, shooting Stiles a look, knowing this was going to be a need they had to talk about now that babies had been brought up. Stiles was giddy with babies.  
  
"So... Derek. Why don't you tell Tyr what we had decided about him?" the human changed the topic once the first few bites were down in everyone's bellies. Because Stiles could practically feel the restless buzzing and curiosity in their guest and he thought it was high time to 'put him out of his misery,' so to say.

Biting into an egg roll with more power than needed, Derek angrily chewed. Angry with himself for wanting another baby. The food did calm it though and by the time one roll was annihilated, Derek was glad for the distraction of explaining to Tyr what they had decided while the beta was stuffing his mouth full with food. Hamster cheeks included.  
  
"We don't know you, you don't know us. And we think it's fitting to give us all a period to get used to one another and see if we mutually want to be pack. We're going to move soon and you'd have your own room then. And if you'd become pack, you can have your own apartment but the building is still worked on. So for now you'll be a guest here with us, if you want." Hopefully Noah wouldn't mind housing another one for just a little bit longer. They were going to be ready to move soon.

Woooooow, the sexual tension was off the charts between the two, they looked ready to start baby-making right away and Tyr grinned widely, putting as much as possible on his plate while they bickered. Tyr stuffed his mouth full, as full as possible, barely even tasting what was in his mouth because it was already smelling like he wanted to roll into it and be covered in the scent for as long as possible.  
  
"Okay, cool, awesome!" Tyr exclaimed with his mouth full, resuming chewing and already putting more on his fork. "I know what you're thinking: why would you even want the weirdo fucker? But I'm a nice person, ‘kay? You'll see you'll like having me around." The second fork was shoved in his hungry mouth, and he once again talked while chewing.  
  
"So, how do I earn my keep? I can sleep with you both, easy-peasy." Silence descended on the table as the beta glanced from one to another before erupting into loud laughter. "Fuck! You should see your faces! Oh man, that was so good!"

Not surprisingly it was Stiles who erupted into laughter from that joke. It was a good one. "You're something else, Tyr!" he wiped at an eye then shook his head. He knew Derek wasn't going to share his amusement because he was too grumpy and... angry-ish at the moment. Or at least that's what he felt about and saw on his mate. To ease that and stop Derek from growling at Tyr or something, he put a calming hand on the alpha's thigh under the table and kept it there.  
  
"I like your humor. Anyways, to answer your question: no, we don't need your surely awesome sexual services. You know, if it wasn't clear, we are the kind of mates who have eyes only for each other," the druid moved his empty fork between him and Derek and yes, even threw some heart-eyes at him because why the hell not? "But you can earn your keep by helping us move. We'll also see how Beth takes to you. Our daughter is always our top priority and like in any pack, we are very protective when it comes to our _cub_ ," he looked at Derek pointedly as he emphasized the last word then looked back at Tyr to continue.

"If things go well with her and you are good with kids, we might sometimes need you as a babysitter when we are otherwise occupied. Of course, death threats regarding her safety included," he grinned somewhat darkly at the beta, letting his eyes flare up in amber color. "But that will take time. You'll have to focus on reintegrating into the human world. I'll work on that with you since I had done it before and Derek will have other stuff to deal with. You can also help us with the remodeling and renovating of the building we are moving into soon. You can make and furnish your apartment as you want to. With time, when your integration is going well, we might ask around in town to find you a job. But most of these are further down the line. We take things step by step and Derek has the last word in things as alpha."

That was a lot to take in. Tyr could be playing with the kid, have his own apartment and the only demand was he was going to have to get a job at some point? It seemed to be too fucking perfect. Sure, he had to help move but that was no big deal. "Why do I have to reintegrate into the human world? I'm not human." Tyr didn't think he needed to change much, it wasn't his fault others didn't know how to handle him. He didn't want to be normal, didn't want to adhere to boring stuff. Getting a job, helping out, sure. But fitting in? He'd try if that's what they wanted of him, but it just didn't seem right that they wanted to change him right away. But he didn't speak of it and instead focused on all the good food.

The joke, after the initial bristle, would have made Derek grin but he didn't want to encourage the beta so instead he kept his face neutral, while Stiles' hand was on his thigh to ground him. Stiles was his, and nobody else’s, but with Tyr Derek didn't have as much need to show it, he didn't pose a threat, he didn't smell like arousal, didn't look at them with that kind of interest. Biting into yet another egg roll, he knew the question was to him, since he too was a born wolf and he understood the reluctance to somewhat conform to what society deemed normal. He never had done that, was an outcast in his own way and fine with it.  
  
"We share the world with others, human or otherwise, and as pack we still live in human territory where the rules of society apply. You don't have to change, you adapt. You play by the rules and make your own while making sure it's not getting you caught. We have hunters out there who will be eager to cut our heads off the moment we make a mistake. Because we're stronger than humans, more agile, we are a threat and they think of us as monsters. We're not monsters. We're not animals. We're werewolves and I know you can do it. You wouldn't be here otherwise. You'd be out there with a wolf pack instead of a werewolf pack."  
  
Derek didn't say it harshly, there was a gentle and patient tone to his voice but he made sure he made it clear that this wasn't up for debate. Blending in was a key point in survival, because the world wasn't fair and they were always up for scrutiny and there wasn't a judge or jury to give them a fair trial. There were only hunters with wolfsbane bullets and machetes to cut them in half.  
  
"You're not a wolf, you're a werewolf and it's time you learn the difference."

Stiles couldn't hide the proud look with which he looked at Derek. Not that he really wanted to hide it, he'd feel it through their bond either way. It was because this was the first time since they had gotten together and went through all the shit storms that he could see a glimpse of the alpha he was surely going to become with Stiles' help and their growing family/pack. Stiles will make sure that it was going to happen. Now Derek had him as help, he wasn't alone anymore. He had someone to turn to for advice or just listen to his thoughts, figuring things out on his own. That was something Stiles sometimes let to happen instead of influencing his mate with his words. And he wanted to believe that this last half a year on his side helped Derek somewhat in moving towards that future self the wolf was maybe one day going to be proud of.  
  
With a small smile, Stiles looked back at Tyr while his hand lightly and fondly squeezed Derek's thigh under the table. "He's right, you know. The main goal here is to stay yourself but blend in enough not to draw the attention and suspicion of hunters and humans. As long as we play by these rules, everyone should be safe. There have been... hunts in this town. Not really because of what the supernaturals in this town were, but because of money and someone playing on the fears of the humans. It was ugly. But it showed how little it is needed for the people around us to turn against us," he explained.

"That's why it is important to play by most of society's rules, or bend them between acceptable limits. One can get quite good at it. Plus we have inside people at the Sheriff's station too. Including my dad and a few in the know whom we can trust. They help cover things up because the truth about our existence is often perceived as a threat and awakens fear and hatred against us. Now I work there too, so I'll have more tools to cover up stuff that might be happening in the future. And believe me, this town is far from boring."

Being put on the spot like this, Tyr squirmed in his seat a little because the alpha was right, he wanted to be in an actual pack, not just a wolf pack. He wanted to be werewolf and he had forgotten what it was like to not be an animal. It was easier to be one, it's why he lived in the now, not once planning ahead or looking back. There was no future and maybe having one, to dare to look to a tomorrow would be a nice idea. A step forward.  
  
The mention of hunters was completely ignored by Tyr. Instead he reluctantly nodded to them both, for the first time seeing why Derek was an alpha instead of the troubled young man he’s seen so far. He had been told repeatedly that a lot had happened so he knew Derek was like that for a reason but he wondered if the man even knew how to smile, it seemed like it wasn't something he did often. Tyr smiled a lot, laughed a lot, didn't take much seriously, not even the possibility of death. He never had needed to care about others, only his own hide and he didn't care much about that either. Wild and free.  
  
"I don't know if I can do that, but I'm willing to try. Fuck if I know what it's all like, so I can't turn it down or promise to succeed. I'm willing to try." It was the best the beta could offer at this point. Maybe he'd find out that being part of society in a pack wasn't his thing, maybe he was born to be an animal after all.

"That's all we ask for, to try. Give it time." Derek wasn't sure either where this all would lead to. They were taking a risk with him but that risk would be worth helping somebody. Stiles was going to do most of the work with Tyr because he had the experience with Malia and had the patience for it. And Derek had to focus on getting the loft ready. Though he knew Stiles mostly volunteered himself to do it so the Hale could focus on therapy as well, on not putting more strain on him with this since they didn't know when memories would become too much. Or sometimes a memory was so bad that it meant a few bad days in a row. That's what they called it: a bad day. Which was code for Derek being too messed up in the head to function well. Beth knew now when daddy had a bad day; that he mostly would hole up in the bedroom. It was to protect her because he didn't want to lash out at her.  
  
And he knew that was something this beta had to learn as well.

"You two eat some more, I need to take a shower before Beth needs to be picked up." Derek leaned close to Stiles to kiss him on the cheek, hands running along his neck. "Maybe you can tell him about the bad days." That way Derek didn't need to worry about ripping apart the new beta without him having the discomfort of explaining. It was too personal, too raw. It was important of course, but the human was better at explaining things.

Stiles nodded in agreement. Tyr willing to try was a good start. So he smiled a bit from the kiss on his cheek while his neck was caressed, raising goose bumps and a few small sparks because he was too excited about their guest and too into explaining things to him, which manifested like that when his mate touched him. It was a pleasant feeling, though, making him long for more touches, but he knew that had to come later. They had stuff to do. Starting with sharing some background story about the alpha for Tyr so he'd understand Derek's past better.  
  
The whiskey-brown eyes were glistening with that same pride from earlier as he smiled up at Derek and stroked along the back of a hand before the Hale pulled it back and left the kitchen. Stiles knew it was a permission and a significant thing that he was allowed to talk about Derek's past to practically a stranger. It was also an attempt from the alpha to be – in a way – more open towards a possible new pack member. And Stiles wasn't surprised that his mate, who usually struggled to express himself verbally, chose to leave this with him. He could feel the trust in sharing what's important and it warmed the emissary's heart.  
  
"Okay... so..." Stiles smiled at Tyr while stuffing an egg roll into his mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing it. He could eat as much as a werewolf, if not more, even before his magic had awakened. That never changed with time. "I guess I should give you a summary from the start to understand my mate a bit better, huh? All right then... So here's what you need to know in a nutshell... Derek's a born wolf, coming from the strong Hale bloodline. His family is basically the reason this town exists in the first place. They used to live in a big ass mansion in the preserve, but long story short, a huntress tricked him when he was just a teenager and it resulted in a big fire which had killed most of his family and pack. For a few years he had disappeared with his older sister to NYC, but she had to come back here for reasons and later Derek found her murdered too. As it turned out, it was the deed of his insane uncle who wanted to become an alpha. Peter stole her alpha spark and then went feral. That's when my best bud was bitten and I came into the story and had learned about the existence of the supernatural world. So that's how basically our journey had started..." he paused, eating some fried pasta with sweet and sour chicken then continued with his mouth mostly full.  
  
"While I was still in high school, my bud Scott – who became a true alpha – and our pack went through a lot of supernatural attacks. All kinds. The Nemeton draws creatures in and we always tried to protect the town from those shit storms. Derek was part of that too, created a small pack from teens after he killed his uncle and became an alpha for the first time. That didn't last for long, though. Sadly he had lost nearly all of that pack then that huntress came back and kidnapped him to steal his powers and there were a lot of other complications along the way. But he had managed to evolve as a werewolf and now can shift into a big badass black wolf..." he said with a dreamy expression on his face, but his fast talking stopped only for a soft sigh.  
  
"He had left town for a couple of years again, but I did the same too to study and become a detective in San Francisco. During these years Derek moved around, joined another pack but was eventually kidnapped again with his baby daughter and dragged literally to Hell where he's been tortured daily..." Stiles continued, his eyes and expression getting dark. "Needless to say, it was bad, but managed to come back with Beth, half of his soul the price to be able to do so. He had found refuge here at my dad because he found himself and Beth alone in the world again. Around four months ago I came to visit my dad and found them here and we had started working on fixing his soul. We accidentally bonded with both the emissary and mate bond, although as I've told you before, we've been pining for each other and in love for years by then. With my magic rapidly wakening up and myself diving head-deep into my magical studies, I had managed to open a portal to Hell and got his soul to seal it back into him. Well... that had brought a shit ton of other problems too. Like literal insanity and hallucinations. So he blinded himself to make at least the latter stop and keep himself from hurting me again," he sighed bitterly, pushing the food on the plate with his fork.  
  
"But with the help of two other druids I managed to create a magical wall in his mind to hold back his overwhelming memories from Hell. You see, time moves differently in that dimension. While only a few months have passed here on Earth, there his soul-fragment had to endure daily torture for three decades in human terms. So you can imagine just how messed up that made him. But this wall limits the memories seeping through, helping him to deal with them in a more manageable way. Though depending on the memory he's dealing with, it might give him a bad day or days until he gets through it. He goes to therapy and I'm helping him in any way I can too, but it's not easy still. So... now you have a bigger picture about him. Why he is so closed up and scarce with words and loves to communicate with his eyebrows and expressions instead," Stiles smirked at the end. "I think I've pretty much mastered that language by now. Which is one of my biggest prides in the world," he chuckled then ate some more. "Any questions?"

Tyr had no idea what to say to that all. Obviously he had known that explaining about bad days would be about whatever had happened. But Stiles was telling this really long story which sounded like a made up story, a horror story mostly. Something that couldn't be real, something he might see happening in one of those dramatic TV shows called soap operas, their storylines had been way out there but that's why he secretly loved watching them in the first place. Same reason why he loved to read what Jim always referred to as teenager chick lits.  
  
Born wolf lost his entire family in a fire set by a hunter who had tricked him. Then he lost his sister to a crazy uncle and became alpha when he killed said uncle. There was something called a true alpha, which he had no idea what that was, and Derek lost another pack. Which didn't really fucking put Tyr at ease because if Derek kept losing packs, it wouldn't be good to belong to it. Then the huntress returned and kidnapped Derek, something happened and he was able to turn into a wolf. Great, that wasn't something special, was it? He had no fucking clue. Derek was tortured twice in Hell, and one time it lasted way too long and now he was cray-cray enough to need therapy and have bad days.  
  
Blowing a raspberry, he had no idea where to start with questions. It was like his mind all exploded with the overkill of a very bad life for the alpha who had started up the shower upstairs. Maybe today was a bad day, because Derek hadn't eaten much at all. Tyr kind of hoped this was a bad day because if this was a good day then the wolf was a very, very grumpy one.  
  
"How fucking insane is he? Like, are we talking stabby 'Heeeeeeeeere's Johnny' kind of bad days or more like today kind of bad day? No offense or anything but fuck, how is he even capable of getting up every day?"  
  
How was he even still alive? It did make so much fucking sense though, the way the alpha behaved, the Spark was lucky he even had a mate capable of using speech. Tyr might have disappeared after losing the sister, let alone being able to handle all the rest.

Stiles understood and wasn't surprised by the shock and surprise on Tyr's face. It was to be expected after the summed up the life story of his mate. With a little smile and a shrug he signaled that it was okay to react like this then drank some lemonade to think his answer through. He got it why Tyr started with this question. Joining a pack with an unstable alpha was risky at best. That's why Stiles tried to give him the bigger picture.  
  
"I wanted to tell you the whole story so you'd understand why Derek is the way he is. Ever since I've known him, he's been scarce with words and communicates better with his expressions, eyebrows, gestures and intonation. Yes, it can lead to misunderstandings or miscommunication sometimes, but that's why I always pester him with my questions. Sooner or later I get my answers from him," Stiles chuckled and stuffed another egg roll into his mouth, chewing it happily away.  
  
"Today is a bad day for him. We haven't had the chance to talk it over yet why, but I assume he had one of the worse flashbacks from the pool of Hell memories. There are stages as far as bad days go for him. This one feels like a 'moderately' bad day. He won't lash out unless provoked. And he usually has a good grip on his control and rarely gets physical, so no, no crazed killing sprees to be expected. Besides, most of the time I can get a read on his feelings thanks to the mate and emissary bods we have. So I can step in, if needed," he shrugged again and paused in his eating.  
  
"You asked a good question, though. I believe it's not easy for him to get up every day. I'm also sure that in the past he had wished a few times that he didn't wake up at all. But giving up is not Derek Hale's style. He is stubborn and will always get up, no matter how hard a punch life gives him. I've never known anyone as strong as Derek. And now he has many reasons to get out of bed each morning. His daughter, his mate, our future plans. But even before all this, even when he wasn't an alpha, he had this 'core strength' in him. He's a survivor and a warrior. With some help, he'll get through this too."

It was bad of Tyr to be relieved about this being a bad day, right? Because he was so fucking relieved Tyr felt like he could breathe again. If this was a bad day then normally Derek would be nicer. Sure it was a fucking moderately bad day so that meant there were worse ones but that also meant on good days the alpha possibly was a different person instead of this closed off grumpy evil eyebrow guy. Scarce with words was fine, he talked enough for ten people, but that closed off look that made him feel like he was intruding all the time was wearing on his nerves.  
  
"Unless provoked. How do I provoke him? Because I'd like to avoid that. He looks like he could rip me apart with only two claws." Rarely getting physical or not, Tyr knew from experience he had a habit of getting on people's nerves so what if he was the one to push too much and not know? Obviously he wasn't too bad off or they wouldn't let a kid in the near vicinity of him, which was at least comforting. And there had been talk of picking up a Beth so he assumed said kid lived here with crazy Alpha.  
  
"He's usually good at keeping his cool, but if he frowns hard and his lips press into a thin line that curves downwards, it's better to back off. I have the uncanny ability to go on his nerves easily, often unwittingly, but he didn't hurt me for that yet and I doubt he would. In the past I had found myself pressed against hard surfaces because of that, though. Now I don't think he'd do that, both because I'm his mate and because I've learned how to read him better. As for you... He'll get used to your similarly restless and free-spirited being. I talk and ask a lot and buzz around too, so at least he has practice in handling all that," Stiles hummed, gesturing in the air with his fork again while he was thinking.

Meanwhile not caring if it was rude, Tyr got another plate full of food, because there was so much of it and as long as his stomach wasn't protesting that he was stuffing way too much in it, there was no fucking way he was stopping. The food was really good, a good balance of meat, vegetables and noodles or rice, depending on which carton of food he picked. He liked the chicken stuff, it was really tasty meat. Way better than eating it raw.  
  
Derek sounded like a good alpha though. Unlucky with all the shit thrown at him, was dealt fucking bad cards and doing his best to handle it all. Even when he didn't want to handle it. "So how old is he anyways?" Sure Stiles had said they met when Stiles had been sixteen and he had been to college and whatever so that made the Spark like 25, but Tyr had no clue how old Derek even was. Young, old? He looked… fuck he had no clue.

Stiles hummed. "I cannot really give you a 101 manual on Derek. It's pretty much trial and error, but you can sense it better with your wolfy abilities in what kind of mood he is in. If he puts up the stops both verbally and non-verbally, back off. There are some sensitive topics, like being in Hell, the leaving of Beth's mother, the death of his family and packs, which aren't advised to bring up randomly, but otherwise you'll be fine, I think," Stiles shrugged then shoveled some more chicken and vegetables into his mouth before continuing.  
  
"Well... his age is a good question. Even I don't know his exact age. I'll be 26 in April. I believe he's just a couple of years older than me, but he keeps the exact number a secret. Dunno why. I guess to tease me. But he is somewhat older than me, that's for sure," he chuckled lightly and finished the last egg roll with some fried pasta before leaning back in his chair to pat his full belly, washing the food down with some more lemonade.  
  
"But he's a good alpha and man, Tyr. He might have made mistakes in the past, but now he's not alone anymore. I'm here to help him and his small pack. He has an emissary and mate in one too and I dare to believe that it balances him out a lot more."

Yeah maybe it would be okay to sense when to back off but Derek wasn't easy to sense, not when Tyr was a particular stranger. His body was one tense chunk of muscles, the eyebrows stuck in a perpetual frown so how was Tyr to know what was a hard frown? Tyr realized it was going to take time to be able to get it from the body language alone or to read it from the signals surrounding the man.

"He doesn't smell upset, just... distant. Maybe he can mask it for werewolves?" It was really hard to say though sure, he knew them for what, a couple of hours at the most. But the not eating, the showering, he guessed he could count those as signs as well not to push the alpha when in that kind of mood.  
  
Besides, the topics not allowed to talk about weren't good ones anyways, way too depressing so there wasn't much chance of Tyr even considering asking. Besides the mom but he had gotten an answer to that. And if it did come to resurface, then fuck it, he'd deal with it, as long as he knew the right triggers and when to stop pushing but he'd probably look for Stiles with that, he'd know way sooner than Tyr would.  
  
"I don't know about werewolf aging, I was so fucking young before I was taught any of that. Dad said to never give ages to anybody because it wasn't the same for humans. We're younger than we look. And then we stop aging and that's all I know. I don't even know how old I am," Tyr shrugged because it never was a problem. He had a really great fake ID now so who even cared, he looked adult, he was adult, end of story.  
  
Eating the rest on his plate, he thought on all of it, nodding to himself. "He's fucking lucky to have you and you him. It sucks to be alone. Really sucks." And then he licked his plate clean like a dog would since he was never taught any manners whatsoever.

"Now, table manners 101. No licking the plate clean when you have company. I mean it doesn't bother me, but it might some who doesn't know you are a werewolf. They'd look strangely at you," Stiles chuckled quite amused then shrugged. "Otherwise, I don't know if Derek can mask things like that to other wolves. Perhaps. But he is usually distant because he doesn't trust easily. Neither do I but I have a good feeling about you, to be honest," he added with a reassuring small smile.  
  
"And yes, wolf age is a mysterious thing for many, including me. But in the end it is just a number. To me and my magic you... feel a couple of years younger than us, but with not much. Not that it particularly matters to us."  
  
There was also some real emotions behind Tyr's last sentences and it dampened Stiles' smile a bit, although his cheeks were pink from the compliment. "Yes, we are lucky and I know how it is to be alone, drifting through life. Even with a purpose. Always missing something. A place or person to belong to. An anchor. Company and family. Been there, done that, even if for not as long or not the way you had to endure in your life. You're not alone with feeling like this. We both understand. Derek even more, because he had lost his own family and blamed himself for years because of that while he was a lone wolf. So yeah, it sucks but it gets better. Or at least it can get better."

Oh. Ooooops. That explained why Tyr got weird looks whenever he ate from plates around people, but in his defense, nobody ever told him that he wasn't supposed to. They rarely ate all together at the group home and on the streets the food didn't come with plates. Putting the plate down, he licked his lips and fingers and drained his glass of lemonade. His belly was super full, bulging a little from the large amount he had eaten but that was a habit of his. He'd eat as much as possible when offered food because he had never known how long he'd be without.  
  
"I'm a good guy, I don't understand how humans can do what they do. I only want a pack and food," Tyr admitted, his basic needs needed to be met, which was a place to sleep, food, sex and a pack. The rest of all the social life he didn't get. Like, sure he had a phone and he really liked computers because wow, that was a whole other world but if he had bad intentions, he'd make them known. Which usually meant he'd like, eat food not allowed or steal clothes.  
  
"You guys have a child and a home and you're like this super powerful Spark and he's an alpha. And that's awesome but I think if I could, if I remembered how to shift back, I would have gone back to the wolves a long time ago. I don't get this world. It's like... those kids who were born in the wrong body. That's how it feels. I should be wolf, not this," Tyr motioned to himself. "But I really like sex and I'd miss that, because as a wolf it's not anything fun. It's quick and it's about procreation and not this amazing feeling."

Stiles nearly choked on his sip of lemonade from that last comment but he managed to swallow it without too much coughing and decided to put his glass down to avoid accidents that might piss his mate off. Who took his sweet time with that shower...  
  
"Man, you really are a fresh breath of air. It's usually me who says things out so unfiltered. I like that. But yes, I can see why you'd want to go back to the wolves. But if you really wanted that deep down, I think you wouldn't be here asking for a place in our pack," Stiles leaned on the table with his elbows, watching the beta closely with his whiskey-colored eyes.  
  
"It's not easy to understand humans and this society, because it's complicated, multi-layered and often not too logical. Humans are also often very dumb, mean or ignorant. But there's a good side to them and this life too. Life in general is a bitch. In human or wolf form. It's about survival. But there's a reason why it is harder and more dangerous doing things without help. We can offer some help. And the most important is: give it some time. Be patient with yourself and the world around you. You've been a 'wild child' – and I mean no offense with that – for a long time. Living with real wolves, far from human society from a young age. Of course, you find it strange since you weren't raised in it. But I think, with some time and effort, you'll be able to discover that this kind of life has a lot of good things to offer too. Let yourself get accommodated, let yourself grow. And with time, we'll be able to find a way for you to shift back too," he explained patiently.  
  
"And yes, sex is one of the best things in this world," Stiles grinned, wiggling his brows. "Especially with the right people. I'd miss that too. A lot." Yeah, Stiles was positive that by now he was addicted to sex with his mate and wouldn't be able to go on without it for long. "Do you have anyone you like or are seeing, by the way?"

"I knew I wasn't like the wolves, but I'm not like the humans either. I guess maybe if there's a way to live in-between, I'd like that."  
  
But Tyr didn't know much about the human world, he had spent only a short time in the group home before he turned eighteen, and that had been on a guess by a doctor since he was undocumented and they had no idea where to ship him off. When the officials had gotten involved he had bolted anyways. Jim had shown him a little of what was out there. Maybe if he could read and write it would be easier, maybe if he could at least experience what it was like to be part of this society, he could make up his mind. He really wanted to be able to turn back, to at least not long for it and give into it.  
  
If there was more than sex to enjoy, well, Tyr did really fucking love the food too, maybe he wouldn't mind it so much. It was going to be hard to be a wolf when he had been able to think more like this. Be more, be mindful. "No, I don't. I'm enjoying what people have to offer. There was Jim in Chicago. But he was human and didn't get me as much. I sometimes fucking miss him, but I’ve got too restless." Mating seemed too complicated, he wanted an alpha mate if he'd go there. And that wasn't easy to find so there wasn't anybody. "I had a wolf partner, she was nice."

Derek had opted for the shower not just because of the bad day. Yes, the hot water helped when his mind was playing havoc on him and scrubbing his skin clean felt like it was scrubbing himself clean from the inside a little as well. But he knew it would give Stiles the time to get more information out of the beta without having the dark cloud of alpha hanging over their heads. Food in the belly, clean clothes, it might make for a good moment to see who this Tyr was. Especially with the water running, to give a sense of privacy.  
  
Downside was that he had no idea what was being talked about besides the explanation as to why he was the way he was. For a long time Derek got lost in getting clean, forgetting the time and trying to stretch it out to give as long to the two downstairs as possible until his skin was just done with Derek's frantic cleaning and his fingers felt like dried prunes. By the time he had dried off, gotten into clean clothes, the hair was dry and he only needed to rub some wax into it to give it its usual do. Of course it needed products or it would be this floppy mess hanging into his eyes.  
  
As he got downstairs, his skin healed up all nicely and smelling of a fresh shower. The two energetic younger males were still talking, as he had suspected, babbling away in the kitchen. Derek checked his phone for the time, hearing the last of the words. Oh great. A werewolf had mated with a female wolf, so it was possible there were actual werewolf cubs out there.  
  
Shit.

Of course, even Stiles heard the water being closed upstairs. He would've even without the somewhat sharper senses he had inherited from the mate bond since the Stilinski house was an older one and apparently without walls that would be thick enough for privacy. That memory of his dad yelling from downstairs to keep it down or the occasions when the TV's volume got turned up in time with their moans and yells' volume were quite telltale signs of that. And boy... the embarrassment after that first time when they had to face the sheriff the next morning... After that these occasions started to secretly amuse Stiles. But he doubted that the mortified Derek shared his feelings about the topic. Good thing they are going to move soon.  
  
For now focusing on Tyr again, Stiles hummed, tilting his head to the side while thinking. "I believe you'll find your place in the world. Dunno when, but it's bound to happen. You might feel like drifting perhaps aimlessly in the world. Or maybe that was your past and now finding a pack and your true self are your motivators. But I talk from experience that if you work hard towards your goals and give it some time and lots of patience, it'll one day become your new reality," the emissary gave Tyr another reassuring smile. Because yes, everything and everyone has its time and place and purpose. Or at least in Stiles' opinion. And he loved searching for such clues that would prove his point.  
  
So many things have happened in his life seemingly without a reason, but looking back he understood the whys and hows better now. Like why his mom's death had made him stronger; how his life came into full circle with becoming a man of the law like his dad; or why he and Derek had to wait so long to get together. And there were many, many more such occasions. Smaller and bigger. Maybe one day Tyr will understand this too.  
  
Alright, Tyr apparently wasn't concerned about gender either. Which was great since they both obviously understood that concept from first hand. "I see," Stiles nodded, the cheerful look staying on his face while he felt Derek already looming on the stairs. "Can I ask what happened to them? And Derek, you can come in. We already had all the girl talk about your sexy ass and grumpy nature," he slightly turned his head towards the kitchen door and the stairs beyond that.

As quiet as the alpha was, there was no way to hide much in this house, they could hear the water turned off, the quiet footfalls on the soft carpet upstairs, soft, but worn enough to no longer hide the dulled thumps. The creaking of the stairs as he descended. Not that there were secrets to be kept from the other male, Tyr had no use for secrets, too much work to keep up with.  
  
"Most are dead. Wolves get shot and killed," Tyr shrugged at that, he had mourned, he had howled, it happened and he had moved on. "The rest of the pack is still out there. I left because I felt like I had to. Like there was more for me out there." Since he couldn't read, he only had a hunch where they were but he had ran off as a wolf and by the time he had found out he was able to shift into a human form, many nights had passed. So even if he wanted to return, he wouldn't know how to find them.  
  
Looking back wasn't his thing, best not to start with that now. He was here and not there, that was how it was. And if his place wasn't going to be here, then he'd move on again and not look back and deal with life as it came.

Since he was busted, Derek appeared, not even having the decency to look guilty for waiting on the stairs. Instead he leaned in to kiss Stiles, smelling like a fresh shower and clean clothes. "Life of wolves and werewolves isn't easy. At least now you have a voice to protect them," he told Tyr, pondering what the best thing was to do: leave Tyr here with Stiles alone, which would be a risk since the beta was still a stranger? But taking him with to pick up Beth wouldn't be good either.  
  
"We have to pick up our daughter, but we'll come right back afterwards. Are you okay with watching TV?" When the long-haired male nodded, he was relieved. Sure, leaving him here by himself was a risk too but it wasn't as if snooping was going to get him very far in this house, because there was nothing interesting to find. Noah wouldn't be home yet so Tyr wasn't going to get shot and they had time to prepare the young child for having a guest at home, which is why he wanted to take Stiles with him, to be a united front. And they had a little time to talk in the car before they'd be joined by the toddler herself.  
  
The food had to cool down before it could be put in the fridge but since they were going to eat it as dinner, why even bother? This way they could fill plates and heat them up in the microwave. As Stiles turned on Netflix and found a show for Tyr to watch, Derek grabbed his wallet, jacket, and car keys. So much for slowly building up the pack. No rest for the weary and he had a feeling along with Tyr there was more to come.


End file.
